Page 8 of Ask No Questions

“It wasn’t just the notes, pictures, or calls, Brandon. He came after me that night.” I stopped, assessing whether or not he was going to lose it again before I finished telling him what happened that night. When he remained silent, I continued.

“I was sitting on the bench, listening to the music, trying to decide what to do and where to go when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, but I couldn’t see anything, so I stood up to head back to the house when I was grabbed from behind. I looked back quick enough to see who it was. I thought in that moment I was going to die.”

I had tears streaming freely down my face. My voiced stopped working, prohibiting me from telling Brandon everything that happened that night and the full story of what led up to it.

After a few moments, Brandon turned to me, his face softening again as he looked at me. “Let’s eat. I’m sorry, Bree, I shouldn’t have brought it up here. Just finish your burger, and we can talk about this later. Just forget about it and try to enjoy tonight.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.” If you’re good, I’ll consider getting you dessert later.”

I laughed, and his easy grin returned in full force. It had been strange to see him without it for those few minutes.

Relieved I had gotten through that much of what happened, I wiped away my tears and looked down at my plate before picking up my burger.

Once we finished, he decided he still had room for my favorite treat—frozen yogurt. We walked past a few shops before coming to my happy place. Two dozen flavor options and unlimited toppings. Could it get any better? I made a chocolate/fruit/candy concoction that looked divine while Brandon loaded up on tart yogurt with berries only.

I eyed his bowl and smirked up at him. “Could you be more boring? Thousands of options, and you pick bland with some more blah.”

He looked down at his bowl then at mine. “Whatever, at least I won’t be in a sugar coma in an hour!”

“Brandon! Hey!”

A petite blonde came running up to us as we tried to claim a table outside. She was a pretty little thing with a huge smile and big blue eyes. She finally reached us as we sat down. She saw me, and her smile grew wider. “You must be Aubrey! Brandon has told me all about you. He seriously hasn’t stopped talking about you moving here all week!”

I smiled at her before stealing a glance at Brandon who was looking shyly toward the blonde. “Sorry! I should introduce you two, I didn’t mean to be rude. This is Liv. Well, Olivia, but everyone just calls her Liv. She works with me. Liv, this is Aubrey.”

“Nice to meet you, Liv. Do you want to join us?”

She and Brandon shared an awkward look I couldn’t interpret before she turned back to me.

“I’m actually late meeting someone up the street. I just saw you guys and wanted to say hi. I’ll let you guys finish. Have a good night!” She smiled once again at Brandon before rushing off.

“She’s cute. Are you two dating?”

“Nope.” He was obviously uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation, but after everything I shared, I thought I deserved some insider information about his personal life. Judging by the way he stood up and threw away our cups––mine was only half gone––I was very, very wrong in my assumption.

Five

"Whoa! Who knew when I asked you to move in with me, I would be getting a personal chef and a maid?” Brandon grinned at me when I turned to say good morning, then continued to scrub the pan in the sink.

I’d rolled out of bed early to get in a workout and surprise Brandon with breakfast. He deserved a thank you for all he had done for me, and it may have been an attempt to break the tension from last night. The food was ready and waiting on the island while I finished washing the dishes.

"You do know that there is a perfectly functioning dishwasher less than a foot from where you are standing, right? Please don't tell me Mom made you wash dishes by hand back home. I know full well they have a full staff of wannabe servants to do her dirty work."

Barely turning my head toward him, I gave him a half-hearted glare. "I am aware of such modern conveniences and, no, I would never let Mom boss me around like that. I happen to enjoy doing a little manual labor every so often. It gives me time to think."

As he sat down on one of the bar stools facing the kitchen island, he stared down at the pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns I had made that morning all before eight. Seeming like he didn’t know where to start, he picked up a fork rather than making his own plate and began inhaling the buffet of breakfast foods.

"So, what do you need time to think about this fine morning, or have you been up all night?" He barely took a break long enough to spit out the question before going for another forkful of eggs and pancake, yes at the same time.

I could barely look at him without laughing. "I woke up at five to go for a run, but when I got to the lobby, I noticed you have a nice gym here, so I decided to work out for a few hours then I came up to make breakfast…You eat like you have been starving your whole life, and last night you ate even more. Where do you put it all?”

“High metabolism.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “So, while I appreciate this, and I now fully expect a full breakfast made for me by the time I wake up every morning. You avoided my question of what you were thinking about.”

“Keep dreaming. This is a once in a lifetime thank you present.” I paused from washing and grabbed a towel to dry off my hands before turning to face him. “Why aren’t you dating anyone? You’re successful, objectively good looking, and have a decent enough personality, even if you are a nerd. And don’t even try to tell me that you can’t find a girl because Liv looked like she is in love with you.”

“Liv works with me. That would be a conflict of interest and just plain unprofessional. I go on dates and stuff. I just haven’t met a woman that I have enough in common with.” He paused and rubbed a hand over his face. “Either that, or I’m just not attracted to her. I can’t win. Plus, I have a company to run and programs to write. I don’t really have much time for the dating scene.”

I rolled my eyes and started walking toward my room. “We’ll see!” I barely caught Brandon’s groan as I closed the door to my bathroom.

I took my time getting ready, enjoying the luxuries of a waterfall shower and the sprawling vanity. It was big enough to spread out my makeup, blow dryer, and curling iron at the same time. Trying to appear less like an out-of-towner, I pulled together a pair of black chino shorts, a loose-fitting emerald silk shirt, and black sandals I hadn’t worn in months.