Chapter 7

That night, I didn't have my nightmare, or at least not the one I'd been having for the past two nights.

It started back in the hospital, as usual: the long beep of a failed heart, my father crying at my mother's bedside. But this time, I wasn't frozen. This time, I ran, making my way through the woods. Then Bryant appeared in all his beauty, his shining smile and glittering eyes.

The dream cut to the future I'd been thinking about since I stopped thinking about since I stopped believing boys had cooties. Bryant held my hand as we walked across an open field. Ahead of us, a little boy and girl ran in circles playing tag, each with the same shine in their eyes as their father.

I woke up that morning to the sun shining bright through the window above the bed. Bryant was still sleeping with his hand resting lightly on my waist. I watched the sheets move slowly up and down with each breath. A light smile touched the corners of his lips, his face peaceful in slumber.

Bryant's eyelids flickered open, revealing his dazzling brown hues.

"Good morning," he whispered groggily. Even his morning breath smelled like peppermints.

"Good morning," I smiled and let him slide his body closer to mine. My feet felt like ice against his.

"No nightmares?" He kissed my lips, and then made his way down my neck.

"Nope," shivers ran over my skin as I felt Bryant's hand wrap around my waist and pull me tighter into his embrace.

"What did you dream about then?" His voice was just loud enough for me to hear.

"That's for me to know, and you to never find out."

He pulled away, enough that only our noses touched. "Come on, tell me."

"No way," I shook my head. If I told him what I had dreamt about, he'd surely make fun of me.

He rolled his eyes and kissed me the same way he had the first morning he'd picked me up for school. "How about now?"

"Oh fine," I grumbled and sat up so my back rested on the headboard.

"Works every time," a grin reached across his face and touched his eyes, proud of his new trick.

"I dreamed about the first time we met, and how you helped me when my dad left, and our kids," I mumbled the last three words hoping they would be incomprehensible, but a soft laughter escaped his lips.

"Well what'd you dream about?" I snapped at his enjoyment in my addiction for him.

"You of course," he pushed a stray hair out of my eyes. "The way you played with Emily, and talked to my mom. The first time I heard you laugh and the first moment I saw you." He took my hands and placed them on his shoulders. "You're all I ever think about."

I tightened my arms around his neck, closing the space between our mouths. What had I done to deserve someone like Bryant?

"Bryant and Serenity sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g."

I pulled away from Bryant as far as the bed would let me, my face flushing brighter than it ever had. Bryant pulled a pillow out from behind him and threw it at Nick who closed the door just before it hit him.

"Jeeze, I just came to tell you Ben's on the phone." Nick's head barely poked through the door so he'd be able to make a quick escape should he become a target of pillow fire again.

Bryant rolled groaned and hopped off the bed. "I'll be back," he reached over and kissed my cheek before following his brother into the hallway.

I brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my hair. I traded my sweatpants for jeans and a dark blue tee-shirt.

There was a knock at the bedroom door and I ran to open it. Bryant was dressed in dark wash jeans and a bright blue polo.

"Ready for your first pancake Saturday with the Williams family," his eye twinkled with a thousand stars.

"It's pancake Saturday?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Yep, best morning of the week," he smiled and grabbed my hand to pull me down the hallway.

"Good morning," Mrs. Williams chirped as she shoveled a stack of the biggest and fluffiest pancakes I had ever seen on a plate. "Did you sleep well Serenity?"

"Very well thank you." I glanced over at Bryant who sat across from me and the small kitchen table and smiled.

"So what are you kids doing this weekend?" Mr. Williams took the seat next to Bryant and started piling pancakes on his plate.

"Well, tomorrow is Serenity's mother's funeral." Bryant reached a hand over and rested it on mine. I turned to look at the floor, biting my lip to keep the tears from falling from my eyes. I was not looking forward to tomorrow and wished – for once – that Monday would come sooner.

"So I thought today we could head into the city. But I have to be back by seven. A bunch of the guys want to go over some things before try-outs Monday."

"Well that sounds nice. I'll give you some money to buy yourself a suit. You need it for your cousin Kelly's wedding as well as tomorrow."

"Kelly's getting married?" Nick's mouth was full with pancakes and maple syrup.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, and yes. I told you this months ago." Mrs. Williams cut Emily's pancake into bite sized pieces. "Serenity, you're invited too. I'm sure the rest of our family would love to meet you."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest as I thought of how Bryant's family would like me better than my own family.

"Are you sure?" I tried to hide the shaky sadness in my voice.
"I'd rather have you with us than have to listen to Bryant talk about you for hours." Nick's voice was bitter.

For the first time, Bryant's cheeks turned a pale pink and he kept his head down, shoving a fork full of pancakes in his mouth.

"Okay, but I don't have a dress." I rarely got dressed up and my only dress was three sizes too small.

"Well, you can buy one today." Mr. Williams slid a plastic credit card across the table. "It's on us."

Bryant took the card and forked the last of his pancakes into his mouth. We both stood up and bid our goodbyes before heading out the front door.

Bryant sped the Mercedes down scenic roads, past the woods and a wide lake without over coming across a single car. Our hands were locked together and Bryant lifted them up to his face. He kissed each of my finders, my palm and then my wrist.

"Can you watch the road," my voice was stern, but was hinted with flirting laughter.

I turned myself so that I faced Bryant, half cross-legged on the leather passenger seat. I ran my fingers through Bryant's and traced the lines on his palm. Occasionally I would catch Bryant looking at me from the corner of his eye and I would shoot him a hard glare that would break into a smile. It was impossible to be serious for more than 5 seconds around Bryant.

The arch of endless trees eventually opened to a busy highway and we merged onto the crowded road.

It had been a long time since I had gone into the city. I had forgotten how breathtaking skyscrapers could be. I looked out the tinted windows to where the buildings met the open blue sky.

Bryant stopped at a red light and let two girls cross the street. They both slowed their pace and smiled, batting their eyelashes as they caught sight of Bryant. He ignored them and leaned across the car to kiss my cheek. The girls looked away from us and practically ran to the sidewalk laughing. I hoped it was at their own embarrassment by the way their cheeks practically lit on fire, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were laughing at the fact that someone like me was with the god that sat in the driver's seat.

We turned onto the next street and parked at the curb. Bryant held the door to the Mary Lynn Dress shop open and I walked in. I welcomed the store's heat, but groaned at the sight of glitter and short hem lines.

"Come on, dresses can't be that bad."

"That's easy for you to say. You never actually have to wear one with a set of matching pumps." I shivered at the thought of attempting to wear heels without falling flat on my face. Bryant laughed and we walked over to a rack of suits.

After twenty minutes of scanning the store, Bryant had picked two suites and convinced me to try on dresses I never would have thought about – let alone afford to – buying. I slid on a black dress with short puffy sleeves and stepped out of the small dressing room.

I stood in front of a long mirror, staring at my depressing appearance. An image of me standing over my mother's grave in the dismal dress flashed into my head, but became faded as I felt Bryant run a finger up my arm, his other hand resting on my shoulder.

"I never thought the first funeral I went to would by my mom's," I rested my head on his shoulder.

"You two were close, huh?" Bryant kissed the top of my head. He looked like a movie star ready to hit the red carpet in his black suit, white shirt, and matching black tie.

"I didn't have a lot of friends before I met you. I was too shy. My mom was all I had; she was my everything; my mom, my best friend, and all my relatives." I turned around and buried myself into Bryant's chest. Tears welled up in my eyes and he tightened his arms around me.

"You don't have to go."

"I know, but I have to say goodbye." I needed one last time to see her, even if she didn't have her smiling face. I needed the closure.

"Why don't you go and change into that other dress?"

I nodded my head and walked back to the dressing room.

When I re-emerged, Bryant was standing wide eyed by the mirror. I eyed him curiously.

"What?" My voice was heavy in sarcasm. I had never even thought about wearing a dress remotely close to this one before and I was nervous about my appearance.

"You look incredible." He smiled, making his eyes light up.

I stepped in front of the mirror, taking in the bright red dress. It had thin straps that reached around the back to tie in a bow and cut off at a flowing angle just above my knees.

"I can't pull this off," my voice was a tad louder than I had wanted it to be. This dress was made for models, not plain, boring girls like me.

"What are you talking about? You look beautiful." Bryant stood himself behind me again, snaking his hands around my waist.

"Are you kidding? I look horrible." We must have been looking at two different people. The girl I was looking at looked awkward, like a bear in a mouse suit.

"Ren," the way he shortened my name made it roll off his tongue. He pushed my hair over one shoulder and I felt his lips meet my jaw and make their way down to my collar bone.

"You really need to stop doing that," I whispered, my voice not functioning enough to speak any louder.

"Do you honestly want me to?"

"Not really."

A woman coughed as she walked into the dressing room and Bryant stood up strait.

"I'm buying it for you, whether you like it or not."

I rolled my eyes and went to change into normal clothes. I had forgotten how comfortable jeans could be. I hung the two dresses over my arm and walked to Bryant who stood by a long line of shoes. He held up a pair of red pumps with long leather straps.

"You're kidding me right?" I stared at the shoes that had a high chance of breaking my ankle.

"Just put them on."

I narrowed my eyes and snatched the shoes from his hand, trading him the dresses. He laughed and watched me struggle to wrap the long straps around my lower calf. How he had found shoes that matched the dress and fit my foot perfectly, I had no idea. But if Bryant was good at shopping, he could do it for me.

"There are you happy." I stretched my feet out in front of me then quickly reached down to take them off.

"Wait," Bryant grabbed my arm. "Stand up."

My eyes went wide in terror and surprise. "Is your goal to kill me by the end of today, or are you just finding new forms of cruel and unusual torture?"

Bryant broke into laughter. "Will you just stand up?"

I set my jaw and slowly rose off the bench I was sitting on. I wobbled a bit before finding my balance.

"There, are you happy?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Come here." Bryant took a step back and held out his arms, too far for me to reach from where I was standing.

"You want me to walk now too?" I let out a hard, sharp laugh.

"Come on, it can't be that hard." His grin widened.

"You're not the one in the four inch pumps."

"Just a few steps."

I took a deep breath and lifted my right foot off the ground. I hadn't taken a full step before I started falling, but I didn't hit the hard wood floor. Instead, I landed softly in a pair of strong arms that had kept me from falling so many times in the course of a week.

"I guess I'll just have to hold you up the entire party," his tone was mocking.

"You just might." Bryant set me back on the bench so I could un-strap the shoes that could easily be the death of me.

If I had my choice, I'd wear sweatpants and sneakers. But that isn't exactly wedding attire and not the way I wanted to present myself to the rest of the Williams family.

"Shall we have lunch," Bryant put the bag of deathtrap clothes in the back seat.

"Please, I'm starved," I clutched my empty stomach.

We had managed to spend two hours in Mary Lynn's and a half an hour in a small boutique where Bryant bought me a bottle of Cantare, though it didn't begin to compare to my favorite scent. Unfortunately, they don't sell Bryant in a bottle.

On the street corner, there was a small, old fashioned diner, complete with a jukebox, big red plastic booths, and a long ice cream bar.

The girl at the front desk shut the book she was reading and threw it under the podium. She stood up strait and looked at Bryant strange. Not the same way as the girls we passed on the street, but like she was searching for an answer.

"Is that little Bryant Williams?" The woman couldn't be older than a mere 25 with her bright blond hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"The one and only," Bryant smiled.

"Oh my! Look at you," she jumped out from behind the podium to hug him. I took a step back feeling out of place in their reunion. "You're not exactly the little boy I used to have to lift up to the counter anymore now are you?"

"You could try, but you might hurt yourself." They both laughed.

"Goodness, are you driving now too? How old are you?"

"Seventeen, got my license six moths ago," he left out the part where he drives twenty miles over the speed limit and doesn't look at the road often.

"The last time I saw you here, you were no taller than my shoulder," she held out a hand to show Bryant's old height. Now the line met the edge of his sleeve.

"Yeah, I've grown a little," they laughed again.

"Oh," the woman stopped laughing and turned her attention to me. "Who is this?"

"This," Bryant wrapped his arm around me, "this is Serenity. Ren this is Tina, an old family friend."

I smiled and shook the woman's open hand.

"Shall I get you a table?" Tina pulled two menus out of a plastic pocket on the side of the podium.

"Sure." We followed her to the furthest corner of the restaurant. I sat on the stool across the high round table from Bryant.

"I'll go tell Big Al you're here, Tina turned and went through the metal kitchen doors.

"How many people do you know here?" I took a sip of the glass of ice water from the center of the table.

"Well, if the same people who worked here three years ago haven't left, everyone." He smiled. "My parents worked here when Big Al opened this place and after they got married, we'd come in for dinner every Friday night."
"Looky here, little Bryant Williams." A large balding man shook Bryant's shoulders. He wore an old white tee-shirt and a greasy apron was wrapped around his wide waist.

"Hey Big Al."

The man made Bryant look like a Ken doll. "You still playing football?"

"Of course, do you think my old man would let me stop? Even then, if he did, why on earth would I?"

The man laughed. "And this must be Serenity." He offered me a thick hand and I accepted. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He turned back to face Bryant. "It feels like just yesterday I had you sitting at that counter gulping down all the milkshakes you could fit in your stomach."

"Do you still make those?" Bryant's expression turned from a serious seventeen year old to that of a five year old in a toy store.

"Sure do. Let me whip you up a couple." Al went behind the counter to pour ingredients into a blender.

"You remember I like milkshakes?" I smiled looking into his brown eyes.

"I remember everything about you Ren."

I blushed. "I love when you call me that."

"What, Ren?"

I nodded. "No ones ever called me that before; I like it."

He leaned over the table to whisper in my ear, "Ren."

The sound sent shivers down my spine and wasn't helped when he laughed softly.

"Here we go," Al returned with two tall glasses filled to the rim. "Can I get you guys something to eat?"

Bryant and I placed our orders.

"Is that not the best milkshake you've ever had?" Bryant asked as I took a long sip of the thick shake.

"It is." Not a lie.

"You must be happy football is starting up again." I took another long sip until the cold gave me a headache.

"Yeah, and the new freshman are awesome," his tone didn't sound as happy as I though it should have. "But that means I won't be able to see you as much." He slid his hand over mine.

"You can come over after practice if you want, and you're welcome to stay any night. That is until my dad comes home; if he comes home."

Bryant squeezed my hand comfortingly. "He'll come home, I know he will. It's impossible to stay away from you."

I smiled half heartedly. The fact that he had chosen to leave me made me miss him more than I would have if he was forced to.

"Here you go," Tina placed our orders in front of us. "Anything else I can get you?"

"No, I think we're all set." Bryant answered.

I picked up a French fry and popped it into my mouth. "So, what are you doing tonight?" I asked.

"Just going to hang out with the guys, watch football, talk about football, play football-"

"Sounds like fun," I said, though I had no interest in the game he found so much joy in.

"Do you want me to come by after? I mean, I could come-"

"You don't have to," I swallowed hard. "I'll be fine," I lied. There was no way of knowing how I would do on my own. Bryant had been with me every second since I figured out how alone I was.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I can't keep you all to myself forever."

"Actually, you can." He flashed his perfectly strait teeth and brushed my cheek with his thumb. My cheeks ran bright red.

"I'll share. You're allowed a guys night out."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" He slid his chair closer to mine.

"Not today," my heart started accelerating as he leaned closer.

"You've got to be kidding me," Bryant groaned just before his lips brushed mine. I was taken aback and sat up in my chair, but relaxed when he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "What?" he asked harshly. A long set of words ran from the other end of the conversation. "Are you serious?" his voice now concerned and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "I'm in the city; I'll get there as fast as I can."

Bryant snapped the phone shut and waved Tina over to the table who came with a wide smile that made it obvious she had been watching us. "Would you like some dessert?" her voice was overly cheery.

"No, we have to get going," his voice had changed back to it's normal, nonchalant tone. "Okay," Tina ripped the small receipt off her notepad, but Bryant had already pulled two twenties out of his pocket.

"Keep the change, and tell Al I said bye."

I had to run to keep up with Bryant's pace as he walked out the door. He muttered something under his breath, but all I could make of it were a few profanities. After making our way out of the busy city streets in the dark Mercedes, he pushed the gas pedal down as far as it would allow. The speedometer needle ran it's way past 100 miles per hour. I closed my eyes, not daring to look out the window, and gripped the edges of my seat.

"You don't trust my driving?" Bryant asked, laughing.

"No," I gasped as I saw the needle inch towards 110. "I just don't trust the road, trees, any unsuspecting deer, and the other cars."

"Well trust me," he smiled like driving this fast was perfectly fine and normal. "The car is fine."

I shut my eyes again, trying to think about what could possibly be motivating Bryant to drive this fast. He knew I hated it when he went over seventy, now he was driving nearly twice that.

When we arrived at my house – which felt like it had only taken ten seconds – Bryant opened my car door for me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked when he didn't follow me to the door.

"Yea, the guys just need me for something. I'll be back in the morning." He lightly kissed my forehead before jumping back into his car and speeding away.