C11 Chapter 11

On their way back to the car, Beth felt awkward. After they put the nylons in the trunk of the car, Beth was making her way to the passenger seat when Brandon said,

"I need to get something. Mind if Elizabeth accompany me, Sarah?"

"Oh sure, sure."

Freezing up as he came up to her, he took a hold of her hand and began leading her away, no words exchanged. Instead of going back into the store, they rounded it and went to the back. She didn't question him though. The atmosphere was too tense for that. The back of the store was as quiet and lonely as she'd expected it to be with only a narrow orange door as a back exit. As soon as they got to the middle of the alleyway, he let go of her hand and turned to face her.

She blinked up at him, feeling anxious.

"What?"

"Why did you go and do that?"

"Do what?"

"Pay for what you got."

"Oh...." Her brows lowered, "What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that is that we agreed on this last night."

"We agreed that you get things for mom. Not me."

Huffing, he said "Beth, who are we kidding? It involved you too. There aren't two different stashes of food in your house. Whatever I get for your mom, I get for you."

She had nothing to say.

"It was like you were announcing it that I was only there with your mom. Not with you."

"I did no such thing."

"That's how it looked like to me."

"Well, how is that my fault? There's nothing wrong with being here only for my mom anyway."

His eyes narrowed but he said nothing. She said nothing either. Just stared at him. After a while, he said,

"I'm trying. I'm trying to show you that I care about you. That I'm here for you-"

"I don't need you to be here for me."

"Yes and you make that crystal clear."

With that, he walked away. Beth watched him go, frowning deeply. What had she done? Had that been so wrong? After a long while of just standing there in thought, she began heading back. She had just began walking when she saw her mother headed towards her.

"There you are. Brandon and I went back into the store to get some sweet carrots." Sarah said with smile.

"Oh... Where is he now?"

"I said I was going to come find you and he said he would wait in the car. What happened, sweetheart?"

"That's the thing. I don't even know what I did wrong." Beth vented.

Sarah's brows rose, "You don't?"

Beth shook her head.

"Wanna explain it all to me?"

Beth told her everything.

"Why did you pay for what you bought?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but tell me."

"Because it's the responsible thing to do. Besides, Josh always insulted me-"

"Everytime he got you stuff."

"And I didn't even ask."

"I know, but honey, Brandon is not Josh."

"Better safe than sorry," Beth mumbled stubbornly, looking down at her feet.

Sarah shook her heard with a smile on her face, "My cute, unseeing girl. Take it like this. Josh is the man who ran away the minute he heard of your mother's condition. Brandon is the man who is STAYING, even after he heard about your mother's condition. He's trying to help in any way that he can. He sees the way you struggle and he's trying to help. Brandon is only this involved with me, because he likes YOU. He cares about YOU, so, he has to care about everything that has to do with YOU. Everything he does for me, he does for you and even when he wants to do more, he stops himself because YOU won't accept it. He RECOGNIZES that you are as complex as you are sweet and he's not left. He's coming closer. Since you both talked about it, he must have felt like you pulled him close, only to shove him back out. Like you beckon, but turn around to slam a gate in his face, forcing him to start all over again. I think knows that and he's prepared for it, but not after the conversation you two had yesterday. He didn't fight and push in that conversation, all for you to slam the door."

Beth's shoulders slumped, "I didn't know. We only agreed on you and your needs. Not mine."

"That's the problem, honey. Where you see only me, he sees you AND me. You involve yourself with me until the slightest amount of care shows up then you run away. Why?"

Beth shook her head defeatedly, "I can't let myself enjoy anything when you're in pain, mamma."

"Even the pain let's up for me to be able to smile, my love. You have swamped yourself with so much and I appreciate all you do for me. I really do, but Elizabeth, not at the cost of yourself. When Josh left, it hurt you. You wondered why he couldn't have been the opposite. The opposite is here now. Don't push him away, babygirl. You're not alone. He wants to be involved, WITH you. Don't push him away. Don't isolate yourself from me where he is concerned to prove to a part of you that he is only emotionally involved with me and not you." Sarah ended, holding unto Beth's hand and looking into her eyes.

"I don't want to be a charity case, mamma." She confessed, wiping the tear that fell from her eye.

"Anyone else might see you as such.... But never me and from the way he looks at you, not him either."

Sniffling, Beth asked, "How does he look at me?"

Sarah's smile turned reminiscing.

"The same way your papa used to look at me when we first met." With that, Sarah turned away, leaving Beth with a squirming feeling in her stomach.

But... What if she did all that, and he still left? Running a hand down her face, she slowly walked back to the car. Brandon was stood leaning against the hood of the car. She froze. He looked up. Their eyes met. Her breaths quickened. When she couldn't hold it, she looked away. Letting his eyes fall, he went to her door and opened.

She walked to the car, keeping her eyes on the floor. As she passed him, she mumbled a quiet "Thank you."

He nodded, shut the door, and rounded the car to his side.

The ride to her place was mostly silent, the only sound coming from the radio.

By the time they arrived at her place, it was already past 6 pm. Brandon helped with the bags. Beth stood by the door, avoiding his stare whenever he passed by. After his fourth trip into the house, a pair of shoes stopped before her.

Taking a deep breath, she fought her pounding heart and rose her head.

Brandon stared down at her. She couldn't really see his eyes since the day was darkening, but his countenance spoke volumes. He wasn't happy. What cemented that fact was the light kiss he went on place on her cheekbone.

Not her cheek.

Giving her one last look, he turned around to leave. Summoning heavy courage, she caught a hold of his hand.

He slowly turned around to face her.

She opened her mouth, closed it, licked her lips and tried again but nothing came out.

He just kept looking down at her. Deciding to speak with her actions, she rose up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight. He didn't react.

Just when she was about to pull back in defeat, she felt his arms move and soon felt his hands at the back of her thighs. He lifted her and she gasped, but she wasn't willing to let go. When he began walking, she buried her face in his neck, holding on. He took them to the car, got in, shut the door, then, wrapped his arms around her.

She exhaled, "I'm sorry."

"I know."

Slowly, she let go of him and pulled back, looking down at her now intertwined fingers.

"I... My ex. His name is Josh. He was good to me at first... Till he changed. He began to have such random bursts of anger. He would demean me whenever he got me anything and worst of all, he would apologize afterwards and say he didn't know what he was doing." She grimaced, "He was disrespectful. I knew that, but I hung on because... Well, I thought the part of him that I knew and liked was going to come out eventually and I did see glimpses. I didn't tell him everything but whatever I told him, he knew how to comfort me. At certain times, he was my friend. An actual friend. At other times.... He was lost. One day, we got into an argument and he'd accused me of trying to dump my mother's bills on him." She chuckled, "It was so out of the blue, it was downright absurd. I broke up with him. He said a lot of ugly things to me and that was that." She ended with a small voice.

"What did he say?" Brandon asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Beth sighed, "He called me ugly and lazy and a waste of his time. Said I wasn't fun anyway and that every bad thing that happened to me, I deserved it. It was only right that I carry my mom's issue alone because I caused it. In summary, he described me as the very definition of bad luck."

"Where does this guy live?" Brandon asked between tightly gritted teeth.

She looked up at him, "I can't tell you that."

Cussing Josh to hell and back in his head, he cupped her face and said, "You know it's not true right? Everything he said, it's false. You know that right?"

She said nothing.

His brows dipped, "Elizabeth,"

"I know a lot of it is false."

"Let me reaffirm. You are beautiful. I'm not just saying that. You are. You are very intelligent and one of the strongest women I have ever met. Stubborn too, but that just goes on to show your will and determination. You are not lazy, heck, I would buy a dress if I got to see you three times in a week."

She giggled.

"I am not joking. I am very sorry Margret called you a charity case."

Her smile died as a slight frown dipped her brows.

"How did you know?"

"There are cameras all over the building. It was increasingly hard to keep my promise not to fire her, but I did demote her."

Beth's eyes widened, "You didn't."

"I did."

"Brandon,"

"No one gets to talk to you like that and get away with it. Not if I can help it. I will always admire you for not throwing a fist when he was spitting such nonsense." The way he kept shaking his head and gritting his teeth, she didn't doubt it.

"If we ever walk past him on the road, please point him out to me."

She began to smile. She couldn't help it.

"So you can knock down a few teeth?"

"Among other things," he ground out, staring at the windscreen with a vengeance. "What part of what he said do you believe?"

She shrugged, looking away.

"It's something I've always believed."

"Will you tell me?"

She looked at him. Silence ensued. He sat still, watching her in anticipation.

After a few tense minutes, she sighed and said, "Later."

He smiled. He really smiled.

"Brandon, I'm sorry for today."

"It's okay. Honestly, I'm getting used to you."

She winced, "Is that a good thing?"

"I'm beginning to build a thick skin against your pushing. I think that's a good thing."

Her shoulders fell, "I don't mean to push you away or slam the gate in your face when you reach out for me. I'm trying. I really am."

"That's all I ask for." He said, dropping his forehead to hers.

"I don't know why you care about me.... But thank you. I want the care. I just don't know how to react to it."

"That's okay. All you need is time."

"And yoghurt." She added.

He scrunched up his face in question.

She shrugged, "You're the yin to my mother's yang. Yoghurt is mine."

"I see."

"You have to head home?"

He nodded slowly. He watched her shoulders fall unconsciously and smiled. He watched her lean in till her lips met his and he gladly returned the kiss, letting her lips glide over his. Pulling back, he whispered,

"Maybe we can kill Josh with my night farts."

Like a mad woman, she lost her senses to laughter.

"Or drown him in my drool." Brandon stated with an accusing look on his face.

Beth bellowed louder, begging him to spare her.

"You're lucky you're cute."

As she smiled, her cheeks coloured, causing her to look more endearing.

He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Her sharp inhale was loud in the quiet car.

"G-goodnight." She stuttered.

He smirked, "Goodnight, baby."

The months of april and may went by in a flash. Eleanor had managed to go see Brandon's mom seeing as Jasmine had come to her workplace by herself and had basically kidnapped her and Eleanor had had no defense. She felt like Jackie was trying to pimp her out.

Literally.

It turned out to not be such a bad thing after all. Beth and Jasmine had pretty much hit if off even more than the first time. In those two months, as Brandon had gotten closer to Sarah, he'd also gotten closer to Beth. They were able to talk to each other about the darndest of things and Beth had even started opening up more. She had began to trust him. To her, they were like best friends. The kind of best friends that kissed and shared intimate looks.... Yeah. Sherlie had told her that Brandon was literally her boyfriend but she'd scoffed, denying even the thought of it. That was wanting too much.

Brandon had also offered her a job. Over and over again. And she had refused. Over and over again. If not for the bet that hung over Brandon's head and the sly looks he got from Steven whenever they'd met up, he would have termed himself contentedly happy. She'd gone from something of interest to his every waking thought. Everything reminded him of her. He was falling and with the fall, came his incessant need... And guilt.

Brandon was sat at his desk twirling his pen in his fingers with his eyes closed, thinking of what he'd come up with, when his door opened.

He opened his eyes and saw Beth huffing in.

"I'm here!" She panted, shutting the door.

"The traffic was crazy. I managed to get the rest of the afternoon off. What's the emergency?"

Brandon sat up, keeping a straight face.

"Some files came in. I need help."

Her brows shot up in surprise. Brandon Wade asking for help? They'd been working together on and off since that time but whenever she helped him, it was always because she offered and he allowed her to. Not because he asked. For him to ask, it must really be an emergency.

"Okay, where's the file?"

He pointed at the open folder on his desk. Beth pursed her lips, scanning his face. The tension written there caused her body to tighten with the anticipation of a heavy work load. She went to his desk, rounded it and made to take the file. Her fingers had barely skimmed the edges of the folder when his hands shot out, grabbed her waist and pulled her down to his lap. She gasped and gripped the edge of the table. What the-

She turned around and saw him staring intently at the file on the table.

"Look at this." He pointed.

She scrunched up her face in confusion and wonder, blinking several times before turning to look at the file.

She ran her eyes over it a few times before turning to look at him, saying, "We looked at this three days ago."

He nodded.

"Why is it reopened now?"

"Something new has been added." He stated.

She looked back to the file with scrutinizing eyes, "Where?"

"Find it."

She blinked and turned around to look at him but before her eyes could reach his face, he grabbed her head and turned her back.

"Don't look at me, work. I don't know what to do about it."

"I don't even know what I'm looking for."

"Look for it. You'll find it."

"Why not just point it out to me?"

"Why not just look for it?" He quipped back. She opened her mouth, shut it and resorted to blinking in confused frustration. Finally, she huffed,

"Can I have my head back now?"

His hands left her head to hold her waist.

Raising a brow, she made to look behind her again but she felt him lean in and froze. When his breath grazed her head, she almost jolted at the heat of it.

"Go on." He spoke in her ear, "Find it." With a squeeze to her waist, he settled back in his chair. Deciding to keep her questions till later, she began reading. She was reading the eighth page for the third time when she shook her head in helplessness and said,

"There's nothing new here."

"Exactly."

She spun around to face him.

"What?"

"There's nothing new." He stated.

"But.. you said... What?" She was so confused.

He suddenly chuckled mockingly, "You're lost. Points for me."

Beth blinked. What in the world....

"Brandon.... You mean to tell me that i just spent an hour looking for something..... That didn't exist?"

He frowned, "No."

She rose a brow, blinking repeatedly in rapidly growing annoyance.

"Then?"

"You spent an hour looking for something that didn't exist, WHILE sat in my lap."

He explained, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers.

Her nostrils flared.

He smirked.

"All for what?"

"My satisfaction and your brain workout. It's very good to read. I read somewhere that rereading the same thing over and over again-"

"I am this close-" she rose up her thumb and index finger, leaving just a hairs width of space in between, "- to biting your jugular out. Tell me why I shouldn't." She said, having an unhinged look in her eyes.

He winced, "Violent much?"

She suddenly sprung up and began to pace, growling and mumbling words in italian.

He crossed his arms as he watched her, clearly amused.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying not to shed blood in your office." She spat out, sending him a look that told him just how much she meant it.

He rose his brows and blinked.

Restraining herself enough to stand still, she turned to him and asked,

"Why did you do this?"

"Because I missed you, baby."

He had the nerve to pout! She erupted in a volcano, throwing barely contained italian words at him.

All Brandon saw was his raging, sexy, hell on wheels latina.

"With the way you are staring at me, I'm not sure this even sinks in." She threw her arms up in frustration.

He snapped out of his thoughts and sat up straight, looking utterly clueless.

"What sinks in?"

"I got off work in a frenzy because of your SOS call, put up with traffic, ran down the block and stopped the elevator with my foot, just because you missed me?!"

He rose his brows, "Your foot? Like in the movie wi-"

"Brandon!"

"I'm sorry?" It came out as a question.

She grit her teeth, whispering out for the sake of her sanity, "No you're not."

He nodded once and relaxed in his chair, "That's true. I saw a ladybug this morning. I wonder why the males are called-"

She lunged for him.

He caught her hands and pulled her down to his lap, caging her hands in his behind her back. She struggled and squirmed but he didn't let go. Panting in anger, she shot him a look that could freeze hell over and spat out a rather lengthy sentence in italian.

He narrowed his eyes in speculation, "Hm... I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that you're upset."

"Díos!" She looked heavenward and sighed.

Brandon suppressed the urge to laugh.

"You... Are so... Annoying." She finally got out.

He rose a smug brow, "I learn from the best."

She frowned, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Two weeks ago, you woke me up at night and made me drive like a mad man to your house, just so you could tell me about the lollipop you licked earlier."

"What's wrong with that!?"

"It was 1 am."

She pouted in petulance and looked away, "That's just a part of the sacrifices that friends make for each other."

He nodded, "Yeah? My sleep?"

She huffed in stubbornness, "Yes."

"Last month, you used ketchup as a filling for my pie and when I went to rinse out my mouth, you changed my ringtone to Anaconda by Nicki Minaj-"

"You needed some spice up in your life!" She defended.

"Sure. Now, my employees think I'm obsessed with all things ass."

"That's not so bad."

"I was anonymously gifted a gay porno CD afterwards." He dead panned.

A volcanic eruption took place. Beth laughed till her face turned pink from lack of oxygen, and her tear ducts wept.

Brandon just stared at her, scoffing off his own smiles.

"But-" she started, trying to catch her breath, "That didn't waste your time. You wasted my time today."

"You should be happy that's all I did." He sat back, taking her with him.

"You should learn to forgive more."

He shot her a look.

"I read somewhere that forgiving people, helps you to-"

"Complete that sentence. I dare you."

She huffed and got out of his hold. She made sure she was right beside the door when she turned back and said, "You don't scare me."

He rose an amused brow, "I'll make you eat your words."

She stuck her tongue out at him and sighed, "I am winded. I'm going to go get myself a sprite. Want one?"

"I have coke in the fridge."

All she did was give him a bored look and walk away.