"Going somewhere, Brandy?" Mae called from the counter as Brandon made his way towards the door.
They had returned home the day before on a ten-day break till the release of the album. Once the album launched, there would be promotions, signings, and more interviews.
He had not done much since he returned home, except sleep. His friends had dropped in to meet and it had been a good laugh, but he had not gone out anywhere. He needed to save up on the energy for what was to come.
"I'm going to meet Izzi, mam," he said, waving at her. "Be back in an hour."
The thought of meeting Isabel unnerved him a little. He had not spoken to her after that interview. His sister Yvonne had called him the day the interview came out in the paper to ask if that was true. His mother had called as well. He'd half-expected Ben's mother to also call but she had not, mercifully. It was not a nice feeling to have to explain to every person that it wasn't true— Louis had linked him with Jessica and started the rumour just for sheer publicity, and he definitely wasn't single, only trying to protect Isabel from unwanted attention by hiding their relationship.
And then things had blown out of proportion when a whole feature had been done on them the week after, declaring the five of them as single, footloose, and available. They had even been asked the type of girls each of them liked and they'd had to make up some garbage. Poor Mark, he did not even fancy girls. Brandon felt more sorry for his friend him than he did for himself.
He had called Isabel to explain himself, but Emily had answered the phone and told him that she was down with fever and could not talk.
Damn. All this, just when they were finally getting somewhere with the relationship.
Brandon shoved his hands in his pockets and walked past houses, parked cars, and billboards, spotted himself in a poster on a wall. He worried about Isabel. He'd asked Ben about her after they'd come home, and he'd said she was better. But he still wanted to see her. Talk to her. Explain that he did love her and she shouldn't pay heed to all that trash about them in the media.
Two girls walked past him, stopping short when they recognized him. Brandon lifted the hood of his jacket to hide his face and practically ran the rest of the way to Ben's house. The last thing he needed on the way to meet his girlfriend was to be mobbed by a group of fans.
He rang the doorbell and waited impatiently, tapping his foot and keeping his head down, in case someone recognised him. At other times, it would've been great. But he just wasn't in the mood now. Not when he was dying to see Isabel.
"Hi, Brandy." Emily opened the door with a smile. "Come in."
He politely smiled and walked in, looking around for Isabel. She was nowhere to be seen, though. It was evening. He wondered if she had gone out with her brother.
"Ben just went out with his dad," Emily said, leading him to the living room. "Would you like some tea?"
"Umm... okay," he nodded, taking off his jacket and putting it on the coat rack. He quickly glanced at the door of Isabel's room that was slightly ajar. "How's Izzi?" he asked hesitantly.
"Better. Still a little weak, though." She turned off the TV and headed for the kitchen. "She's napping. You want to spend some time with me till she wakes up?"
Brandon did not see any reason to refuse. He would not leave without meeting Isabel, so he had to wait. With a nod of acquiescence, he followed her into the kitchen.
"Feels great to be back home, doesn't it?" She smiled, as she went about making the tea. Brandon returned the smile, sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island.
"Yes. It can get lonely on the road," he said, glancing around the kitchen that he must have seen for as long as he'd seen his own kitchen.
"Lonely?" Emily gave him a surprised glance, picking the box of tea from the top shelf. "With the five of you together?"
He laughed. "We miss home," he sighed. "Not professional popstars yet." He chewed on his bottom lip, measuring his next words. "How did Izzi fall ill?"
"Not sure." Emily turned off the stove and dipped in the tea, before coming up to sit on the opposite side of the island. "She started running a high temperature since her exams ended. Part of me thinks she hasn't been getting enough sleep, part of me feels she's just stressed about all that's happening in her life..." She sighed, lacing her fingers on the countertop. "She also had a panic attack a couple of days ago. It was bad."
Brandon's eyes widened. "I thought she didn't get them anymore," he said, slightly troubled. "She's been better."
"That's what we thought as well," Emily nodded. "But that night I was woken by the sound of her being sick in the bathroom. We found her cold and sweaty, trembling all over."
"Did she have a nightmare?"
"Possibly. She couldn't say anything, she was too shaken." She shook her head. "Her nightmares raise their ugly heads sometimes. And why not? The terrible things she's been through..."
She rose to pour the tea and returned with two mugs and cookies on a tray. "It's good that you came," she said. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
His stomach flipped. Was it about that interview or that article? He hoped not, but in all likelihood it was.
"About what?" He sipped on the tea, the delicious warm beverage doing nothing to alleviate his nervousness.
"About you and Izzi." She picked up her teacup, going into therapist mode. Emily was different from other mothers. She understood everything just by looking at a person's face. Sometimes she played it cool, sometimes she sat them down and talked like a friend. She studied reactions and emotions, helped people deal with their own feelings and know their own mind.
"I want you to be honest with me, okay?" She said with a gentle smile. "I'm not a parent right now. I'm a friend. Talk to me openly. Right?"
"Is anything wrong, Mrs B?" His hands trembled a little even as he asked that. When your girlfriend's parent sat you down and gave you a talk, it definitely meant something was wrong.
"No." Sipping her tea, Emily looked at him over the rim of the cup. "Do you think there is?"
He opened his mouth, but then closed it and shook his head. He did not want to think anything was wrong.
"Alright. So a simple question." She paused to study his face. "Are you serious about Izzi?"
Brandon stared, his mouth agape. It was because of all that trash in the press. She was already doubting him.
"I am," he said quietly. "I know why you're asking and I want you to know that I care about Izzi. I know she is young and vulnerable, and I'm--"
"Brandy, I'm not asking for explanations," she shook her head. "Neither am I saying all this only because Izzi is young and vulnerable." Sighing, she sipped her tea again. "I know you care about her. You always have, since you first met her two years ago. But after everything that happened to her, it's just natural that we worry. I don't want her to have her heart broken. You know what I mean, right?"
He nodded dumbly again.
