Okays, update!The English Test
Chapter 7: Sandwiches
by LadyRiona
The next morning, Victoria woke with a yawn and a rather stiff back. As she began to sit up, a soft groan escaped her lips as she pressed her fingertips into the small of her back, attempting to relieve the pressure in her bones. It took her a few moments to open her eyes, squinting against the morning sunshine coming into the room. She was still sitting on the floor against the couch, where she’d fallen asleep sometime early, early in the morning whilst talking to Bryan. No wonder her back hurt; Katie’s floors weren’t half as comfortable as a bed, or even the couch.
“’Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Dan, Katie’s father, said. He was one of those fathers who didn’t mind what their children or children’s friends called him as long as it was respectful. Victoria had settled on his name.
Another yawn escaped Victoria as she looked around the room. “Morning,” she mumbled to Dan, continuing to search for Bryan. He wasn’t on the couch; where had he gone?
“There’s some coffee in the kitchen, if you want some.” Dan sipped his full mug of coffee. With a crinkled expression, Victoria shook her head. Coffee wasn’t her most favorite drink. In fact, she only drank it when she was extremely tired, but that was when it was highly diluted by milk and sugar. “Then, of course, the missus has some tea made, too. In the kettle on the stove.” That was more like it.
“Thanks, Dan. Where’s Bryan?” Victoria tried to sound casual, but thinking of him made her blush.
“Kitchen.” That wasn’t Dan’s voice. Victoria looked around and just barely saw Bryan’s head through the doorway in the kitchen. A smile immediately illuminated her face as she stood. It felt strange to be so happy to see someone, but it was also nice.
In the kitchen, Bryan was carefully eating some toast and a plain muffin. There was a mug of black coffee beside his plate. “’Morning.”
Victoria couldn’t help her smile widening as he spoke to her, even just one word, though she tried to hide it as she poured hot tea into a mug. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” Slowly, she turned and smiled into her mug, sipping the contents.
Bryan shrugged slightly and took a tentative bite of the toast. “Better than last night. Much.” He gave Victoria a slow smile as she sat down across from him. His expression turned serious when he looked at her. “Listen. I’m, ah…sorry about last night. The party.”
Quietly, she cleared her throat. “Yeah. It’s…okay. I’m actually kind of glad I was there.” Victoria gave him a soft smile. “You know?”
“Yeah,” Bryan said quietly, nodding. “Yeah. Guess it was a good thing.” He gave her a sheepish smile for a few moments before shifting in his seat. “But really, I am sorry. I honestly didn’t know there would be…drugs there.” He looked uncomfortable, sitting there, apologizing like this. His hand slowly slipped up to brush his hair out of his eyes. Victoria smiled a little, recalling the feeling of his hair beneath her hand.
But seeing his point, Victoria leaned forward with her mug in her hands still. “That’s right. You said there shouldn’t be drugs there. But there were. You lied.” A bit of a smirk crossed her face to let him know she was joking. She pointedly ignored the fact that, even though he hadn't planned for drugs to be there, he had still tried them.
“Oops.” He smiled at her genuinely, sincerely. “Forgive me?” His green eyes were colorful again, full of the life Bryan possessed and exuberated at almost all times. How could she
not forgive him?
The smirk on Victoria's face changed to a slow, soft smile once more. “Okay,” she drew out as if she was reluctant to forgive him, “but just this once. Next time, you might not be so lucky.”
“Will there be a chance for next time?” Bryan gave her a serious look, asking her this honestly.
It took a moment for her words and his to sink in fully. That made Victoria’s smile turn to an embarrassed grin. Her cheeks turned light pink. “I need to call my dad,” she murmured, escaping the situation for the moment.
Even as the phone rang to her house, Victoria did wonder: would there be a next time between them?
* * *
“You sure you don’t want to come in?” Bryan rested the side of his face on the steering wheel in his car, smiling at Victoria.
After a lot of fast talking, Victoria had convinced her father to let her stay for a little while longer. She wanted to make sure Bryan made it home safely. He didn’t live too far from her, only a few blocks further in the neighborhood, so she could walk home. It had taken a lot of convincing since her father didn’t have the full story of the previous night, but he had given in after numerous promises of a full explanation. Katie had driven Victoria and Bryan to the party house after breakfast so Bryan could pick up his car. That left Victoria in her current position: sitting in the front passenger seat of Bryan Banning’s car.
“I shouldn’t,” she mumbled in response to his question, looking down at her lap. She was wearing more borrowed clothes from Katie: a pale blue, peasant-like shirt with a dark blue skirt. The skirt had an
extremely interesting pattern now that Bryan had invited her inside once again. “My dad really wants to know what happened last night and I shouldn’t keep him waiting.” She glanced up at Bryan. He was scratching the side of his neck, a soft expression on his face.
When he caught her gaze, he smiled. “Your dad said you had until two. It’s only lunch time. My mom will probably want to meet you so she can, you know, thank you. I
am an only child. She’d be devastated if she lost me.” He winked at her in that cocky way he had to make her blush
Victoria bit her lip gently, now focusing on the weave of the fabric since she'd memorized the pattern. She looked up at Bryan finally, hoping he would give up and let her walk home. “I don’t know…” Her lips curled upward in the slightest in a vaguely uneasy smile.
Bryan shifted. For a splinter of a second, he looked uncomfortable as well. His eyes flicked toward his house before returning to Victoria. “At least come in for a sandwich and a drink? Just so at least
I can thank you.” He gave her a winning smile, but it failed to reach his eyes completely, stopping just short of convincing her that there wasn’t some deeper meaning to inviting her inside his house.
Maybe it was because she had a feeling, or maybe because of the way the sun was lightening his hair, but Victoria finally nodded, being the one to give in first. “Okay.” Her smile changed again. “But just for a sandwich.”
“And a drink.” Bryan was already sliding out of the car. His voice was so reassuring, Victoria could hardly tell him no.
As they walked to his front door, he grabbed her hand. It was a little startling, but Victoria didn’t pull her hand out of his; it felt too nice to pull away. When they stepped into his house, it was like stepping into a museum: cold and spotless. Bryan squeezed her hand a little more, pulling her into the kitchen.
“Ma!” he called out in the hallway. “Ma, I’m home!”
The kitchen was even cleaner than the other parts of the house. It was pristine white and taupe, lit by the full-length windows and door on the side of the room. Bryan smiled at Victoria a little uneasily as he walked her to the bar. “Listen, whatever my ma says or asks, don’t tell her about last night, okay? I'll do the talking about that.”
“Bryan!” His mother walked into the kitchen from behind Bryan. She looked like the typical suburb mother: a nice hair cut; solid pastel sweater/shirt; and light colored pants. She even wore her shoes in the house. “I’m so glad you’re home.” As she grabbed Bryan and pulled him close to kiss both of his cheeks, he stiffened in her hands. “Who’s this?” Her gaze turned to Victoria. “Is this your girlfriend?”
“Actually—”
Bryan pulled out of his mother’s grasp roughly, scowling. “Whatever, Ma,” he interrupted. “We’re just here for a sandwich, then she has to go home. Her father wants to take her somewhere.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out some makings of sandwiches.
His mother seemed a little frustrated at first but pushed that off. “So, how long have you two been together?” she asked Victoria.
“Uh…” Victoria looked at Bryan for help. He was immersed in sandwich making, fervently ignoring his mother. “Mrs. Banning—”
She shook her head. “That was my husband’s last name. We divorced, so just call me Taylor. I don’t see why Bryan likes his father’s last name; it’s been years since—”
“It’s better than yours, Ma. Stop pestering Victoria. It’s not like I’m going to marry her.” Bryan had finished one sandwich already and was working quickly on another one.
Victoria gave Bryan half of a frown. “It’s okay; I don’t mind answering questions,” she said to either of them.
Taylor smiled. “See, Bryan? At least this girlfriend has manners. Your last one, I couldn’t stand her. She was so rude. Victoria, do you know Kayley? I believe she goes to your high school.”
“Um. I don’t think I do.” Victoria shifted a little. She wasn’t uncomfortable answering questions; it was just disconcerting sitting next to the loathing vibes Bryan was sending his mother.
“Oh, well that’s probably a good thing. Where did you and Bryan meet?” Taylor continued to smile, settling in at a barstool.
Bryan, finished with the sandwiches, grabbed two bottles of water and the sandwich plates loudly. “School, Ma. Leave her alone. C’mon, Victoria.” He gave her a soft look, directly contrasting the one he had sent his mother nanoseconds before.
With a little uneasiness, Victoria nodded and slid off the barstool. “It was nice to meet you…Taylor,” she mumbled, leaving the kitchen quickly with Bryan.
In his room a few moments later, Bryan shut the door and placed the sandwiches on his desk. Immediately, he went around his room, setting things off balance from the clean, almost perfection as the rest of the house. He sat heavily on his bed to muss up the blankets; tilted his pillows; scattered pieces of paper on the small table beside his bed; and finally tipped over a picture of him and his mother. “That woman just…she’s so nosey!” Bryan grabbed his sandwich and set in on devouring it. After he kicked off his shoes, he pulled his feet up beneath him. “She’s always in my business,
and my friends’ business. It’s like she’s never heard of privacy before.”
Victoria grabbed the other plate and took a small bite of the sandwich. She was a little uncomfortable once again, standing in Bryan’s room and listening to him carry on about his mother. She actually hadn’t seemed like a bad woman. Rather inquisitive, yes, but nothing unexpected for first meetings. Victoria didn’t dare say that out loud, though, not from the way Bryan seemed to dislike his mother.
“Could you hand me that bottle next to you?” he asked her, pointing, then continued with his rant. His voice was so soft suddenly, very different from how he'd been speaking of his mother.
Silently, Victoria grabbed both bottles and walked over to his bed. She sat down on the very edge, handing one to him and setting the other one beside her. They ate their sandwiches in silence. Victoria was a little uncomfortable from the way Bryan spoke about his mother. Bryan took to sighing occasionally between bites until he finished eating.
“Sorry,” he mumbled after a while. “I just don’t like her. She’s so fake. You didn’t believe her, did you?” He looked up at Victoria, face slightly crestfallen.
Victoria sipped her water bottle quickly before turning her gaze to Bryan. “What do you mean?”
Bryan shifted on the bed, scooting closer. “She isn’t like that at all. She only acts like the perfect mom in front of other people. She really isn’t.” He looked uncomfortable again, finally unable to meet Victoria’s eyes for maybe the first time since they'd met. His gaze wandered along the floor.
With a small amount of hesitation, Victoria placed her hand over Bryan’s arm. She offered him an encouraging smile. “What’s she like?” she asked carefully, turning to face him now. Her hand slid down his arm as she pulled it back to rest in her lap.
A surprised look covered Bryan’s face. He seemed shocked she had even asked. “Horrible. She drinks a lot. Well, used to. She went through rehab a few months ago.” His eyes looked anywhere besides at Victoria. He was fidgeting, rolling the hem of his shirt through his fingers and tugging on the small chains hooked on his pants. “I think it was just a bunch of bull, though, so she could keep custody of me.”
Victoria shifted again, sharing Bryan’s uneasiness. Sure, she was supposed to help him talk about these things, but that didn’t mean she was able to be immune to them. “What do you mean?” She resisted the urge to add: ‘She seemed fine to me.’
Bryan cleared his throat, finally looking up at Victoria. His face was slightly determined, maybe a little scared beneath that. “Can we not talk about this right now?” he mumbled. “It’s just…It’s—”
“It’s okay, Bryan.” She touched his arm again, giving him a slightly sympathetic but understanding smile.
His smile was small and grateful as he kept his eyes on her. Letting his gaze drop to his lap, then to the floor again, Bryan sighed. When he looked up at Victoria again, he seemed more composed, almost like the conversation had never happened. Victoria had a feeling that very few people saw the side of Bryan that she’d just witnessed. He had seemed so weak in comparison to his usual brash demeanor. Seeing him like that made Victoria feel both closer to him, but also a little afraid of the secrets he had, causing her to question if she really wanted to be closer.
After a few minutes, Bryan shifted again, pulling Victoria out of her thoughts. Her eyes drifted around the room, settling on the clock. It was nearly one. “I should probably go,” she mumbled, looking at the wall behind Bryan’s shoulder.
This time, Bryan didn’t argue. “All right. I’ll drive you. I’m going back out anyway.” He smiled at her, beginning to turn.
“You don’t have to; I can walk. It’s a nice day out.” Victoria placed her hand on his shoulder once more as he bent to pull on his shoes. “My house is only a few blocks away.”
Bryan looked up at her, his green eyes glinting with the fervor she was used to seeing. It made her feel less uncomfortable again. “You just don’t want to hang out with me anymore,” he accused playfully. “You’re scared I’ll convince your dad to let you stay out with me all day again, huh?” He sat up again, grinning.
Victoria rolled her eyes. “No,” she replied. “I just don’t mind walking.”
“And I don’t mind driving you. I have to go by your house to get out of the neighborhood anyway.” He gave her a look that dared her to argue with him.
After a few moments, Victoria gave in. Was there no way for her to tell him no and stand by it? “Fine,” she mumbled, lips curling up in a soft smile. She looked down in her lap, not wanting to show her awkwardness at losing a playful argument again.
Victoria didn’t know what to expect a moment later when she felt Bryan’s fingers curl under her chin, lifting her face to his. He was smiling at her now, genuinely. “Thank you for earlier, and last night,” he murmured. His fingers slipped up from her chin to her cheek, brushing her skin gently. “Really.”
Before she could respond, Victoria felt his lips against hers lightly. It was a surprising feeling, something she’d never felt before. When Bryan pulled away, he seemed no more awkward or no less sincere than when he’d thanked her before kissing her.
Victoria tried to feel that way, but instead felt like she was flying.