Catherine stopped cutting and stared at him. “And what is your passion?”
“Well,” Brandon said, dropping his fork. He looked at Katie, who half-smiled. “I thought about being a farmer. Growing food for people.”
Catherine narrowed her eyes, and bit her lips. “I see,” was she said.
Then, she set down her fork. “You do know Katie’s passion, is that correct?
“Yes,” Brandon said, staring at his plate.
“And you know that Katie is going away after graduation, right?”
Katie was in the middle of drinking a glass of apple juice. She set it down abruptly, some of it spilling onto the tablecloth. “Mom!”
Catherine shrugged. “What? It’s the truth.”
Brandon put up one hand. “No, it’s fine, Katie.” He turned to her mother. “Yes, I’m aware of that, Mrs. Simpson.”
Catherine took a sip of her glass of water. “Alright, just as long as you know. I hope you’re not going to move there with her. It could really get in the way.”
Katie gripped her knife so hard that her knuckles were whitening. “Mom, we haven’t even talked about that yet.”
“You have to talk about it sometime,” her mother said.
Brandon didn’t know what to say, so he just pushed the mashed potatoes around on his plate, making some sort of hill.
Katie looked at him apologetically. She tried to put some turkey in her mouth, but she had lost her appetite.
Of the three of them at the table, only Catherine Simpson was eating heartily.
*
After dinner, Katie and Brandon stepped out into the chilly night. Christmas lights were hung on the neighbor’s houses. Some of them spelled “Merry Christmas” while others were in the shape of Santa Claus, reindeer and sleds. Red, blue, orange, yellow, green flashed cheerfully all around them.
Brandon held Katie’s mittened hands, and together, they walked up the snow-covered street, which reflected the colorful Christmas lights.
It had stopped snowing. Some of the snow had even melted, creating slush. It was like walking in water.
Katie turned to Brandon, her face pink. “I’m sorry about my mom.”
“That’s alright.” He looked down and kept walking.
“I mean, I know we haven’t discussed after graduation yet. It was rude of my mom to mention that.”
He looked up at her. “Why don’t we discuss it?”
She bit her lower lip, and then fidgeted with the buttons on her winter coat. “Let’s just enjoy the time we have together. The future is far away. Really far away.”
Brandon was tempted to argue, but said nothing. He didn’t want to ruin their Christmas.
So he continued to walk, his boots stomping in the slush.
Just then, a freezing breeze struck them, and they stopped moving and huddled together.
He noticed that her scarf was loose, so he reached over and pulled it tighter for her.
“All better?” he asked.
She looked at him, and he stared back. She enjoyed the warmth that their little cocoon was generating.
As she looked at him, a single snowflake fell on his toque. She touched it with one finger, and it melted right away.
He touched his head. “What?”
“There was a snowflake on your toque. It was really pretty.” She smiled shyly.
“Pretty? You’re so weird.”
She chuckled.
He wrapped his arms around her. “And that’s what I like about you.”
She laid her head on his shoulder.
Brandon murmured, “Do you want to go to my house? It’s warm there.”
Katie nodded. “What are we doing to do there?”
Brandon gave her a mysterious smile, but did not reply. He merely took her hand. As they stomped through the wintry landscape, the flurries started up again.
*
When they arrived at Brandon’s house, Katie was surprised to see how large it was. The house was a Victorian-style three-story building.
Katie shook snowflakes off her coat before stepping inside. “Wow, your house is so big.”
Brandon took off his jacket and closed the door. “Yeah, big, dark and empty.”
He turned on the light, and the chandelier lit up the hall.
He held out his hand and she took it.
“Come on,” he said. “There’s no one home.”
“What are we going to do?” She looked at him uncertainly.
“Let’s go to my room and hang out.”
He saw that she was hesitant, so he said, “Don’t worry. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Pacified, she followed him up the stairs, footsteps echoing in the grand hall.
They got to his room and he opened the door. She peered inside. It was a typical guy’s room with a desk and a computer in the middle, and an unmade bed in the corner.
He led her into his room, and they collapsed onto the bed. The covers were soft and silky against her skin.
She turned to look at him. The room was dark, except for the honey streetlight streaming in from outside. She could barely make out his face.
For a while, they simply lay there in the silence. Outside, they could hear the snow flurries pelting against the window, and the howl of the wind.
Katie put her hand on Brandon’s face, stroking his cheeks. “Brandon, I feel like I don’t know a lot about you. Tell me a secret.”
“I can’t think of anything.”
“Come on. There must be something.”
He let out a breath. “I don’t want to say.”
“Why not?”
He looked at her with a vulnerable expression. “Because, then, you’d know my secret.”
“And what’s so bad about that? Then, I’ll feel closer to you.”
Brandon nodded. “There is something. Aren’t you wondering why no one’s home on Christmas Eve?”
“Why?”
“Because my parents are jerks. They’re both investment bankers and too damn busy chasing money to be with me.” His tone turned completely serious.
He turned to look at her, and she withdrew her fingers from his face. His green eyes were wide. He sucked in his lips. He looked like he was about to cry.
Katie squeezed his hand. “I’m sure they just want to make enough money to keep you comfortable.”
“Have you seen the size of my house? I don’t need more money. I need my parents.”
Then, he really did cry. Katie thought he was laughing at first, but when she saw tears on his face, she knew it was for real.
At first, she was unsure of what to do, but then instincts took over as she held him close. He tried to say something, but it was incomprehensible. Katie thought he had said,
“It’s hard being alone.”
She continued to hold onto him. After a while, he looked at her. His eyes were bloodshot, but the tears were gone. They had disappeared as quickly as they had come.
“I’ve never told someone that before,” he whispered.
Katie said nothing, but she felt privileged. It was the kind of story reserved only for intimate others.
The snow had stopped outside. They could barely hear the roaring wind now.
He reached for a tissue on his desk, and dabbed his face. “I don’t normally cry.
Especially in front of girls.”
She patted his chest. “It’s OK. It’s really OK.”
To her, it really was. It made her feel closer to him. And it made him seem more human, somehow. She used to think that he was strong all the time. He was the one who held her when her samples were rejected. He was the one who took her to Taylor Park to make her feel better. He was the one who showed her the trampoline to make her forget about the contest. Now, she was happy she had the chance to be the one to comfort him.
Brandon got off her shoulders and lay back down beside her. “Now you tell me a secret.”
“You know pretty much everything.”
/> “Tell me more about fashion design. Why do you want to pursue it?”
She shrugged. “I’ve always loved clothes and making things. So I thought, ‘why not combine the two?’”
“How many dresses have you made?”
“Seven, but I don’t think they’re any good.”
“Why not?” He propped his head up with one arm, turning to her.
She let out a deep breath. “I don’t know. I submitted one to another competition, but it was rejected. My dad got me an application for an internship at this designer’s New York City. Maybe I’ll get in.”
Suddenly, she sat up on the bed. “Sometimes, I think I have no talent.”
Brandon sat up behind her. “How would you know you have no talent? You haven’t produced your own clothes yet.”
She turned her head toward him. “I keep getting rejected.”
“Those judges wouldn’t know a good dress if it hit them in the face.”
She peered at Brandon in the dark. He looked angry, but not at her.
He came up behind her and enveloped her in his arms. “Don’t doubt yourself. I’m not a pro, but I’ve seen your dresses. You have talent. And I won’t let anyone say you don’t.”
She turned around until she was facing him. Her emotional attraction to him was at a boiling point.
She darted in and kissed him on the lips ravenously. He was taken aback, but he quickly regained his poise and kissed her right back.
He began to take off his shirt.
She cupped both hands on his bare shoulders. “Wait. What are you doing?”
“We could do whatever we want. We don’t have to go all the way.”
Katie played with her hair. “I haven’t…I’m a…”
Brandon put a finger to her soft lips. “Me too,” he whispered. “It’s OK.”
He took off his shirt. Katie gawked. He had a lean, pale, lanky body, not muscular, but toned. Staring Brandon’s naked upper body, she felt uninhibited. She took off her sweater, and she was left in just a T-shirt.
Katie looked over at Brandon. She didn’t know what they were going to do. She was both nervous and curious at the same time.
She hugged herself, rubbing her arms up and down. “It’s cold in here.”
Brandon lifted the blankets and got into bed. He patted the space beside him. “Then get into bed. It’s warm in here.”
Although it wasn’t Katie that was naked in the upper body, she still felt completely exposed, totally vulnerable to even the slightest disturbance.
Even with her reservations, she climbed in bed beside him. The sheets were cool and refreshing on her skin. She snuggled closer to Brandon. He smelled of cold and snow.
She had never been intimate with a boy before, and she imagined that the atmosphere would be awkward, but it was not. It felt right.
He turned to her, and whispered, “What do you like? I’ll do anything.” He stroked her bare arm with one finger, while looking at her lovingly.
She had never been looked at in that way before. She liked it. “Just hold me,” she said softly. “Just hold me.”
He smiled. “I can do that.” He put his arms around her shoulders. It might have been snowing outside, but being all snug and cozy in their little cocoon, they wouldn’t have known.
Brandon turned until he was staring her in the face. “I’m so happy you’re here with me.”
Katie nodded. “Me too.”
He looked at her with a strange expression on his face. Something that she had never seen before. It looked like he wanted to tell her something, but was hesitating.
He cleared his throat. “Do you think this is as good as it gets?”
She smiled. “Yeah.”
“Then I want us to be like this forever.”
She looked at him. From outside the window, the orange streetlight cast a soft hue on
Brandon. His shaggy hair was tousled, as though he had just woken up. His eyes were soft and relaxed.
She kissed him on the cheek, and then said, “You’re so silly. Nothing really lasts forever.”
As she looked at him, she could detect a hint of worry in his eyes. To make him feel better, she kissed him again, and then lay down next to him.
She did not look him in the face, but she could sense some unease in him as he lay there, breathing steadily beside her.
Outside, the flurries started again, caressing the windows with bright white snow.
*
Chapter 8
That spring turned out to be beautiful. It was sunny and warm and the trees were in full bloom.
One gorgeous Saturday, Brandon was studying at Katie’s house. The two of them were lounging on Katie’s bed. Brandon was leafing through his biology textbook haphazardly, paying more attention to the girl in the room, than to the memorization of the twelve cranial nerves of the central nervous system.
Katie shifted in her position. “Shouldn’t you be studying?”
Brandon reached out and stroked her face. “I am studying.” He continued to look at her.
Katie chuckled, shaking her head.
Then, she stood up and headed toward her sewing machine. She picked up a scarlet red dress, and headed toward the window. Late afternoon spring sunlight filtered through the window, hitting her hair and making it shine.
Brandon was admiring her hair when she turned around, scowling. “I can’t seem to fix this dress.”
“I wish I knew how to make dresses,” he said.
She took the dress and sat down in front of her sewing machine. She turned it on and began to alter it.
The roaring of the machine interrupted the chirp of the robins outside.
Brandon watched as she feverishly altered the dress. When she was done, she held it up to the light. The dress looked like a dog mangled it.
She made this face. Her mouth was a straight line. Her nose was scrunched up. Her eyes were confused.
Katie chucked the dress into the trash bin. She buried her head in her hands. Brandon sat there on the bed, just watching her. He didn’t know whether he should let her be or go over and comfort her.
She finally looked up. She was not crying, but her face was defeated, oozing a certain surrendered melancholy.
“I give up,” she said, throwing her hands in the air.
Brandon looked at her, furrowing his brows. “What do you mean?”
She sighed. “I’ve been at this for five years. Not a single sample accepted by a contest.”
She went over to her desk and picked up a crumpled piece of paper. Brandon approached and inspected it. It was a rejection letter from the Budding Designer Contest.
Dear Young Designer, while we liked your sample, we must pass on it. All the best.
He put a hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say.
Fortunately, she talked first.
“It’s not like I’m asking to be a designer with an international line right away.” She looked up at him, her eyes unfocused. “I know there’s hard work involved and I’m prepared to put in the hours. It’s just that I wish these damn contests would accept one of my samples.”
She stared out the window.
Brandon stood there with his hand on her shoulder.
She let out a breath. “So I guess that’s it. I’ll just have to find another passion, one that isn’t so hard to break into.”
He stood in front of her, facing her and blocking out the sun. Her face in the shadow looked even more defeated.
Brandon asked, “Why did you want to go into fashion design in the first place?”
“I don’t even remember.” She stared vacantly at Brandon’s chest.
“Come on,” he coaxed. “Why did you decide on it?”
She started playing with her hair, twirling a strand around one finger. “When I was little,
I used to watch a lot of Disney movies. I loved the dresses on the Disney princesses. My mom would make them for me to wear.”
Brandon saw a flare in her eyes, a certain
fire re-ignited.
She headed to her closet. After rummaging through it, she pulled out a small top and pants, both made of baby blue silk. She held them up and smiled. “My mom’s made this for me years ago. I was a princess for Halloween. I felt so beautiful.”
She had this dreamy smile on her face. “I remember saying to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if I could make girls feel beautiful too?’”
The smile stayed on her face.
Brandon came up to her and hugged her. “I’ll be your prince.”
Katie laughed.
Brandon scrunched his face. “What’s so funny? I meant it.”
Laughing, she pinched his cheek. “I know. That’s so sweet.”
Brandon moved in closer. “Just don’t forget that passion. Never forget why you’re doing something.”
She felt the passion back in her, as though someone had added more kindling to the fading embers of her fire.
She looked at Brandon. The pre-dusk sun bathed him in its golden rays.
He smiled at her.
She thought he looked like a divine being.
*
The next day was Sunday. Katie and Brandon were lounging on the trampoline at Taylor
Park, just watching the clouds go by. It was a particularly sunny day, and the rays beamed down on the couple.
Katie rummaged in her pocket and took out a piece of paper. “I received another rejection in the mail. Another contest. Another rejection.”
He squeezed her hand. “Maybe you don’t have to go right away. I’m not saying give up, but maybe you could go to New York next year.”
Katie turned around, facing him. Her expression was playful. “So what should we do instead? Play house?” She grinned at him.
He took her hand and together, they lay down on the trampoline.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling back at her. “Why not? I can imagine myself being married to you.”
She chuckled. “Are you sure? I’m a very messy person to live with. I’m gonna leave my makeup all over the place. Mascara everywhere.”
Brandon put his fingers on her cheek. “I don’t mind that. We could move out together, get a small apartment in the city.”
She huddled closer to him, putting her head next to his shoulder. “But I want to get out of here, get out of the suburbs, and get out of Vancouver.”
Meet Me at Taylor Park Page 7
