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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 0:27:30 GMT
She'd known what was going to happen the moment her assistant held up the backless black dress and told her she had to attend her reunion. "Isn't Brandon Finn going to be there?" she suggested. "You know, the man we basically ended an entire contract with a modeling agency over?" Amber threatened, halfheartedly, to fire her well-meaning assistant, but she'd gotten ready and gone to the hotel. So she really had known where they were going to end up. The trip from the bar to the penthouse was spent with her pressed closely against him, trading kisses and hushed laughs in the back of a car taking her to the building she'd spent more time in during high school than the one she'd lived in.
Amber's hand found Brandon's once they were on the sidewalk and she greeted his building's doorman - now with less hair on his head and many more wrinkles on his face - by name with a cheerful hello as if she hadn't been gone for so many years. It was only when the elevator doors slid closed and she leaned against the wall of the elevator to peer up at him that she smiled. "Just like old times," she mused as she drank in the sight of him. Very much of him was familiar but more had changed than just his decision to grow out his facial hair. He was much less boy than he'd been ten years ago, she recalled him lounging in his bed with the sheets bunched up near his hips, telling her to come back to his bed while she'd been young and impetuous and thought it was funny to frustrate him to the point where he'd have to get up and come to her instead.
Now he was a grown man. And she wondered what else had changed. Part of her wanted to believe that nothing else had, but he'd already admitted updates had been made to the Penthouse and, though she didn't want to admit it, that thought frightened her. What if, at the end of the day, things had changed so much in his life that there was no longer truly room for her in it. Pushing the thought away, she tilted her head at him and licked her lips. "I'm glad they didn't change the elevator," she pointed out. "Take the memories out of anywhere else, but this was always a good elevator," she joked.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 0:45:55 GMT
He couldn't figure out whether or not it was a bad thing. The fact that they had slid back into old routines so easily. Even the cab ride was eerily similar in the way that they had once entangled themselves and engaged in countless kisses and other elicit activities. He had wound his hand in her hair and had teased her lips, neck, and cheek with kiss after kiss. Pulling out the charm in the way that was so effortless for him, he grinned widely to hear her laugh, a sound that he had forgotten that he loved to hear. Squeezing her hand as it found his, he followed her lead into the elevator and pressed himself close to her. Running the back of his knuckles against her cheek he smiled back at her. How was it that ten years had gone by already? She barely looked older than she had then, just perhaps a little more tanned by the California weather. Or maybe it was just the glow she had about her. He couldn't be sure. "I seem to recall you being awfully fond of other aspects of this building as well," he recalled her padding around the penthouse in nothing but one of his shirts, the length of it looking more like an over-sized dress than anything else. Bending down to press a soft kiss on her lips, he sought her hand as the bell dinged, letting them know that they were home. Or at least, they were at his home - though at one time he probably would have found her here more often than her own home. "So this is it - this is the penthouse. Mostly the way you remember it, I assume."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 1:02:00 GMT
Stepping into the Penthouse, she peered around. The changes weren't everything she'd been anticipating, which was good. But furniture had been changed and moved, walls had been changed, fixtures had been replaced. It wasn't what she remembered either. "You were right," she said, turning to glance over her shoulder at him with a grin. "It does go spectacularly well with the scruff," she teased, reaching up to touch her hand to the side of his face again before laughing and taking a further look around.
She took note of the other changes, things that had been moved around, thing that were brand new, things that had been thrown away. Her eyes settled on the center of the living area and she tilted her head for a moment, thinking of what it had once been before realization dawned.
"You switched the couch, too. You know, Brandon, I spent a considerable amount of my most formative years on that couch, I was quite fond of it," she pouted, even though she was 90% sure she was kidding. She reached out for his hand again before stepping in closer, her lithe body pressing up against his strong, solid frame. She grinned when his arms wrapped around her and she felt, for the first time since arriving back in New York almost a month ago, that she felt at home. And that was a dangerous thought path to wander down, so instead she pressed her mouth to his neck.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 1:18:05 GMT
Watching her closely as she moved around the penthouse, he waited for her reaction to the changes. It had been ten years, he couldn't have been expected to keep everything the same. Besides, it had been nice to purge the place after each failed relationship. Bringing an interior designer in to make over the place in a way he didn't have the time, or the desire, to do. In the way that some women reinvented their appearances post-break-up, he supposed that this was his version of that.
She mentioned the couch and he grinned sheepishly. The couch had actually been one of the first things replaced. The first time he brought in a decorator had been not long after Amber had left. Walking around his own home had caused too many memories to rise and he thought that the only way to squash them would be to get rid of the offending articles.
If he could have fit everything that reminded him of her into a box, he would have mailed it to her. But the couch, the penthouse, the elevator, and all of the town cars in New York couldn't have possibly fit. So he just got rid of them. Well, in some cases physically, in others it was more metaphorical.
He pressed his hands more firmly into her hips, ensuring himself that he wasn't going to let her go this time. "You know, I'm okay with breaking in this one if you'd like."
Something was nagging at him in the back of his mind, something she had said about the new decor pairing well with his own physical changes. He looked at her, here in his place, and realized that she fit here too. She probably would have fit in regardless of what style he had allowed it to be decorated in.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 1:33:23 GMT
Amber giggled softly as his hold tightened on her and he commented on the new couch. She bit her lip and leaned into his touch easily. She liked the way he kept a hold on her, like she was tethered to something familiar. She tipped her head back easily. "Couch, bed, shower. I've got a lot of places to reacquaint myself with and reclaim, Brandon," she pointed out as though it was just a joke. But she also thought it was fairly serious. Part of her was curious about what happened next.
When all was said and done, was she waking up the next morning dressed in one of his shirts, trying to phone a cafe that would deliver them breakfast and the paper so she could inevitably do the crossword incorrectly in pen? Or was this a trip down memory lane and not an extended stay? She knew what she wanted, but she didn't know what he wanted - and that had always been the problem with their (for lack of a better word,) relationship.
It was only when he fell silent for a moment and looked at her, that she felt like he wasn't saying something to her. "What?" she asked gently before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Do I look like an absolute mess after that cab ride?" she questioned, running a hand through her hair almost nervously. Amber was very rarely made nervous, but if anyone made her doubt anything, it was the man in front of her now.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 1:53:05 GMT
The list of places she wished to break in made him smile. He wanted to take her to each and every surface of his penthouse and allow her to mark them as her own in someway. Sure, he was becoming awfully fond of the current decor of the penthouse, but if he someday found himself needing to purge it of her once more, he was sure that he could manage. He had before.
He smiled at her as she ran a hand through her hair. Reaching up to mess it up a little, he chucked. "No. You look perfect, as always."
Pulling her hips closer to his he traced kisses down the curve of her neck. "I really missed you," he murmured against her skin.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 2:11:31 GMT
Amber blushed slightly under his compliment and when he mussed her hair, she laughed and swatted at him playfully. He knew her so well still and the very thought terrified her. She felt it happening - felt herself getting sucked in. She hadn't been lying earlier when she'd mentioned New York would always be her home and she'd left her heart there, specifically with the man in front of her. And part of her was a tiny bit worried it had been disposed of with the rest of the furniture.
When his lips trailed kisses along her neck and he muttered that he missed her, she let out a breath she'd been holding in since she stepped onto a plane at LAX. "I missed you, too," she responded immediately and without hesitation. Her fingers threaded into his hair and she moaned his name softly, almost impressed by how quickly and easily it fell from her lips - like it had always been on the tip of her tongue for the past ten years.
When her mouth pressed against his again, her hands busied themselves by reaching to loosen his tie and deftly undo the buttons of his shirt, eager to feel him pressed against her so that she could push away any worries she still had until morning.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 2:22:02 GMT
She had said it back, and for the first time he realized that he had been hoping to hear her say it. His heart quickened at hearing his moan his name and he pressed his own lips against hers that much more forcefully. He helped her to toss his tie to the floor and work at the buttons of his shirt before moving to pull her dress down over her shoulders. Realizing how quickly they were jumping into a new stage of their adult relationship, he hesitated momentarily. "Are you sure?"
The last thing that he wanted to do was push her too soon. With her wedding ring still on her finger he couldn't help but worry that she wasn't ready to move on to a new relationship, that she wasn't ready to be engaged in any sort of physical relationship with anyone.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 2:36:56 GMT
Amber blinked when he hesitated slightly but then realized that he was hesitating for her. She sighed and placed her hands on the side of his face and kissed him gently on the mouth before she pushed her dress past her hips and let it fall to the floor. "Brandon," she laughed softly against his lips. "Take me to bed," she commanded with a grin.
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The next morning, Amber stirred awake early and for a moment, after she got her bearings in, just curled up against Brandon. It was like she'd never even left for a half a minute and it was like she'd dreamt the last ten years. But his facial hair and the new bed sheets gave away that things had in fact changed. Gently disentangling herself from him, she slipped out of bed and picked up Brandon's discarded shirt from the night before, pulling it around her and taking a deep breath to inhale his familiar scent.
In the bathroom, she noted the updates in decor and mentally reminded herself they still had to break in the shower. She washed up quickly, removing her wedding ring to do so and when she patted her face dry with a towel, she glanced at it and frowned, deciding not to put it back on just then. Instead, she padded barefoot back out into the living room and found her cell phone, calling her assistant to give her the day off and then searching the internet for a place to order breakfast. She held her phone to her ear and walked back to where Brandon was still asleep, grinning slightly as she looked at him before someone at the restaurant answered. "Hi, do you guys deliver?"
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 2:47:14 GMT
It was the sound of her voice that caused him to stir. Part of him questioned whether or not it was a dream, one that in some way drew on memories of the past. He opened his eyes slowly and took in the sight of Amber standing off the to side of his bed. She was wearing nothing but his dress shirt from the night before and had her cell phone pressed up to her ear.
Closing his eyes and pressing his face into his pillow, he willed himself to go back to sleep. Preferably with her joining him in just a moment. When he realized she was making no quick movements to get back into bed with him, he reopened his eyes and gestured to her to get back into bed.
"Amber, come back to bed," he prompted her, holding the sheets open enough to give her space in the bed, but also to remind her that he hadn't yet pulled on any clothes since their escapades last night.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 2:59:26 GMT
Amber grinned a bit when Brandon stirred but she kept her phone to her ear. "I'd like to place an order in advance to be delivered in a couple of hours," she instructed. When Brandon pulled the sheets back, her eyebrow ticked up and she stifled a small laugh.
"Yeah, can I get the waffles with extra-extra syrup, an order of eggs and a side of bacon, extra crispy," she nodded even as she stepped closer to the bed and grinned at him. She climbed on to the mattress and crawled in closer to him, pressing a few soft kisses to his chest and stomach before sitting up again, forcing an innocent expression on her face when she continued her call.
"Yes. And two of your largest black coffees, please," she added in, winking down at Brandon. She then rattled off the address as though she did it every day, and ended her call. She grinned down at Brandon and put her hands on her hips as she kneeled on the mattress and peered down at him. "Want to go for a run in Central Park?" she asked jokingly. "I ordered breakfast for when you're ready to be a functioning member of society."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 3:07:31 GMT
He grinned at her as he heard her place her breakfast order. He couldn't remember the last time that they had actually woken up the morning after any sort of activity and saw the clock displaying a breakfast hour. "What did California do to you?" he asked, sitting up from the bed enough to grab her and pull her back down to the bed with him.
Tracing the back of his knuckles across her cheek he pushed himself closer to her and pressed a kiss to her lips. "It is my running time," he confessed. "Or do you think we got enough cardio in last night?"
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 3:20:26 GMT
Amber giggled when he pulled her back to the mattress. "I had a lot of time in California. I became a fan of breakfast, and I started working out in the morning too. And I also can use more in the kitchen than just the microwave," she added in the last part as though it was an earth shattering accomplishment.
She moaned softly into his lips and shook her head at him. "I think last night covered it," she admitted. "My legs still feel like jell-o," she admitted, knowing the way it would feed it into his ego, but she didn't really care. She tilted her chin up and kissed him back eagerly, grinning against him. "I missed you," she muttered, hand cupping the side of his face and thumb stroking his cheek gently. She'd said it the night before but now that it was out in the open, she felt like she could freely admit it one more time. "Do you have anywhere to be today?" she asked him after a moment. "Because I gave my assistant the day off and thought that maybe you'd want to spend the day in with me?" she suggested. "We could take a shower and you can help me with the crossword puzzle?" She chewed on her lip and glanced away. "I mean, if you want."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 14, 2015 3:34:40 GMT
All of this conversation about breakfast and change reminded him that were still things about him that were different than before. Things that Amber didn't know, or things that he just hadn't found a way to tell her. Things like the fact that he hadn't eaten carbohydrates for nearly the past five years, or that he had somehow trained his body to wake early enough to get a run in before work. Or that he still had no idea how to express not only his emotions in general, but his feelings for her in this very moment.
"Well, aren't we finally coming into our own," he mused teasingly.
She took his face in her hand and he licked his lips before speaking, "No, I'm free all day." And even if he weren't, he was sure that he would move things around on his schedule to ensure that he had all of the time in the world to spend with her today. Admitting exactly how he was feeling toward her at the moment may not have been on the agenda, but he did know that he was more than willing to admit that he didn't want to miss an opportunity to continue spending time with her. Especially if the entire day proved to be like the last twelve hours had been.
He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Or we could stay here," he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "Just lie in bed all day and do absolutely nothing."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Aug 14, 2015 3:50:14 GMT
Amber grinned at Brandon. "You're teasing, but you've put out my literal fires before, you know it's a big deal. I'm a whole new level of self sufficient, I could make dinner without needing to order take out later for my self and the entire fire department," she pointed out.
She sighed happily when he told her he didn't have any plans and then suggested they stay in bed together all day. She had to admit the idea was enticing. She lazily stroked her fingertips along his arm and bobbed her head slightly. "I can definitely do that," she admitted as she curled up against him, legs intertwined and happily in his arms. "But when breakfast comes, I need my waffles, and I'm still convinced that I need to get the New York Times to admit to me over the phone that 'P-L-Z-G-R-B' is a citrus fruit," she nodded. "It's the only thing that fit."
She smiled and leaned in to kiss him quickly on the cheek. "Want to go back to sleep until then though?"
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