Love's Suicide(4)

Branch laughed at me some more. “Why do you care? You know how he is. He’s always looking for attention, and you know he likes to annoy you. Look, you should be glad he’s not sitting there trying to pry into our business. That chick being here is a good thing for us.”

I leaned on the vanity. “I guess.”

He approached me and kissed me softly on the side of my lips. “Don’t let him bother you tonight, Katy. This is your night, and I won’t let you get so upset. Let’s go out there and enjoy dinner before they come looking for us.”

I rolled my eyes, realizing that Brooks was probably thrilled he’d gotten a rise out of me. “Fine.”

We were almost to the table when Branch leaned into my ear and whispered, “If you were wearing a skirt, I’d be fingering you at the table, too.”

I shook my head and tried to stay composed while blushing and sitting back down.

For the rest of the meal I refused to look forward. He wasn’t going to ruin my night any more than he had already.

Branch held my hand under table and nudged me several times, reminding me that he would always be by my side. I appreciated that he was so understanding, where others would have been jealous. He really did love me.

After dessert, Brooks left with flavor of the week, probably so he could drive to an alley and fuck her and then never talk to her again.

I never would have pegged him to be such a douche, but that’s exactly what he’d become.

The four of us remaining sat at the table together. “I saw the flowers at the graveyard today. They were beautiful as always,” Danica announced.

“Thanks. Branch picked them out. Mom always loved yellow roses.”

I played with the rim of the cup of hot tea in front of me.

“I was thinking that we should donate a bench in their name. I got something in the mail about it, if you’d like to see it,” she said.

I looked up and smiled. “That would be great. Thanks again for dinner. It doesn’t matter how many years go by, it still means the same as the first time you did this for me. I think since Branch and I are graduating this year, it’s a little more emotional. I mean, you’ve practically raised me. I know Mom and Dad would be so grateful to you. I just don’t know a way I could ever repay you for what you’ve done for me.”

Walt reached for my hand and I placed mine inside of his. “Katy, you’ve always been a part of this family. Your parents were our closest friends. We miss them every day, too. Having you here with us is like we got to keep a part of them. It’s always our pleasure.”

I could feel the tears falling down my face. No matter how much I tried, it never got easier for me. The mere mention of my parents was always too much for me to be able to handle. It was even harder knowing that my father’s parents hadn’t been in my life since I was two and my mother’s parents, who had come over from England, died within a month of each other when I was eleven. At least they didn’t have to experience the loss of their child. “I really appreciate it.”

Danica stood up and grabbed her husband’s empty cup. “You two don’t have to keep us company you know. It’s okay if you want to go out and be teenagers.”

I looked at Branch and smiled, knowing that I didn’t have to leave the house to be happy. I had everything I wanted.

“We’ll probably just watch some television,” Branch announced.

I agreed. “Yeah. I’m kind of tired after the movie. It was long.”

“Well, we’ll handle the dishes. You two go relax,” Walt suggested.

I followed Branch into the family room and plopped down on the couch. He grabbed the remote before sitting down next to me and putting his arm behind my back. “I’m so full I might not eat tomorrow,” he shared.

I rubbed my own stomach. “I know what you mean.”

We started flipping through the channels before Branch said anything else. I’d already molded my body against his and gotten comfortable. “I can talk to Brooks if you want. If he’s really bothering you that bad, I mean.”

I shrugged. “I can handle your brother. Besides, I don’t care who he sleeps with. It’s the fact that he had his hand in her pants at my parent’s memorial dinner. How disrespectful can you get?”

“Just let it go, Katy.”

We fell asleep watching television, and I didn’t wake up until I heard someone come in and change the channel. Brooks was sitting in the recliner across the room from us, looking for something to watch. I sat up, leaving Branch to sleep. Brooks didn’t notice that I’d woken up until I was right up in his face. I slapped him hard across the cheek, and at that exact moment he scooped me up into his lap. “What was that for?”