A Breaking Point

Brody had barely realized that she had never been here before, let alone that they had never really been alone together before. With the exception of their time together on prom, it had always been a concern in the back of his mind that they were in a place where someone could have walked in at any moment. And the first time that they had ever really been together had been interrupted by his mother of all people. The moment where everything in Ithaca had felt different had finally arrived and he had to admit that it wasn't what he had expected. He thought that it was going to be a moment where he suddenly realized that he was over her, that he was at a place in his life where he was ready to move on and move toward something more than the relationships he had had in high school, he just had never factored in that she might have been the one to make it the most obvious to him.

Looking at her, he smirked softly and squeezed her hand. "The entry way and living room you've pretty much seen the majority of. Through there is the kitchen," he told her, motioning in the direction of the open kitchen area, "And back that way is the bathroom and bedroom," he hadn't meant to imply anything in particular, though her did take a step in the direction of his room, bringing her along with him as he did so.

Brody hadn't even remembered that it was there. It had seemed so important when he was packing his belongings into boxes and toting them up here, but over the last few weeks, its significance had been one that he had just grown comfortable with. It had started to blend into the background, being a source of comfort and a reminder of home more than it was a direct reminder of Morgan. Though now, as he looked at the car she had given him, he couldn't look at it without seeing her. And not just because she stood in front of him, but because it had reminded him of all of the times that they had played together when they were younger. It was what had caused him to love the gift so much the year before and it was what had driven him to ensure that it arrived in Ithaca safe and sound.

"Of course I did," he told her before he found her in his arms again. He grinned at her, echoing her greeting before he kissed her again. "I love you too. So much." Finding himself unable to stop kissing her, he brushed his lips against hers again. "I'm really sorry it took me so long to say it to you."

Brody laughed, nodding at the realization that this was the first time that they had ever had the opportunity to really test their relationship without the fear of interruptions and without the obligations of homework and high school. It was different in every sense of the word and he could feel his own heart beating a little faster as he continued to consider the other changes that were sure the follow in their relationship. "No," he agreed, "We don't."

He advanced on her, easing her back onto his bed as he kissed her, all the while noting that he had never really thought that they would have ended up back here.

The last twelve months hadn't gone the way that he had ever expected them to, and as he thought of the path that they had taken to get to this point, Brody regretted everything and also knew that he wouldn't have changed it. For all that he knew that he had hurt Morgan, and for everything that she was going through as well, he also knew that it wouldn't have been the same if it had worked out the first time. It's intimidating to find yourself in a relationship with a person that you know you have serious, genuine feelings for, when you haven't even figured out what you wanted to do for college and a career path. Fear is an interesting beast, making it easy to become intimidated and even shy about the possibilities that are presented in front of you. 

A year ago he hadn't even been able to admit that he had loved the young woman in front of him, a fact that now seemed so apparent. And while everyone around him also seemed to realize this fact, from his parents to his ex-girlfriend, he hadn't known how to tell her when he had already let their relationship get to a state of complete disarray. 

It wasn't just this moment with her that he felt made up for all of the bad, either. He had to admit that he appreciated the friendship he had formed with Melanie, and the way that he few months of teenage rebellion had driven him to become closer with his parents before he left for school. And he appreciated that even his rift with Morgan had allowed him to make a clear-headed decision about college, which led them right back to this moment in his apartment, far from any one's judgment or interruptions. 

He just hoped that she felt the same way - for all of the heartbreak he had caused and the pain she had felt, he hoped that she thought that this moment had been enough to help. Loving somebody put everything in perspective and he was realizing that he cared much more about her happiness than he did about his own. So as he lay on the bed beside her, he just kept hoping that she was happy. Smiling brightly at her, he brushed a kiss to her lips. "Hi." 

Brody grinned widely as she moved to straddle him, making a mental note that he could get use to this kind of relationship with her. It hadn't been like this the last time, though he thought back to what she had said before about having not done it right then. That much was true, he supposed. It had been, at its very core, a high school relationship and with that he figured that there had been a lot of unnecessary drama that he hoped they had both moved past. Already, Ithaca had become their little island away from the rest of civilization, or at least civilization as they had known it. It was much easier to pretend that it was just the two of them here, even if he knew that eventually he was going to have to leave and go to class. And she was going to have to leave and go back to school. 

That thought drove him to reach up and pull her face down to his, entangling her in another round of passionate kisses. The moment she needed to leave was not one that he was particularly looking forward to. When he broke apart from her for a second to properly catch his breath, he brought his hand to her cheek, using his thumb to softly trace the bottom of her flushed lower lip. "I should order us food, then," he finally responded to her statement of being starving. "Or, if we have to leave the apartment, we can go out and then I can show you around campus." 

At the mention of campus he felt a sharp sinking feeling in his stomach. He still needed to talk to Alex. "Or," he decided to throw in a third option. "I can get you something to eat and then go take care of something really quickly." Ending the sentence with a small smile, he tried to keep her from feeling guilty about what had happened.

In that short time frame, Brody realized how quickly a happy moment with a person that you loved could suddenly turn sour. He had done to Alex the same thing that he had done to Morgan the October before, and while he knew that they were two very different women, he still couldn't help but feel as though he kept putting himself in situations that he had no business being in. Frowning, he nodded slowly. Judging by the look on Morgan's face, she wasn't really a big fan of all of this either. He kept reminding himself that this was different, Alex was different, and there was a good chance that none of this was nearly as big of a deal as he was making it.

He climbed out of bed and stood in front of her, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her closer to him. The last thing he had wanted in all of this was for Morgan to feel like she had anything to feel guilty, sad, or upset about. Pressing a kiss to her lips quickly, he smiled at her. "I love you, and I'm sorry if I ruined all of this already. But you're right - I do owe it to her to talk to her before any of it gets any worse."

Kissing her one last time before pulling away, he started to gather his clothes. "Make yourself at home, obviously. And if you get too bored you can always go bother Toby - that's what I do," he offered.