brandon bennett

where: red velvet bakery

with: @dtbennct​

          It always made her feel normal being a few hours behind Red Velvet’s counter. Ever since she reappeared plenty of people had come by to say they were happy she was back and happy to see her alive and kicking. She knew it wasn’t easy for a small town to deal with something that even remotely sounded like crime and if Anna was being completely honest, she would definitely say that she was impressed with how encouraging the response had been after what she had done. Inside her own establishment, she had been able to smile and feel like herself again, especially when a six-year-old approached the counter with a toothy smile and a request for a unicorn cupcake. She had never quite been able to resist Baylee’s ways and she told her to go over to her table that she would bring it by soon and as soon as Anna pulled some of the family’s favorites, she walked over to where she saw mostly Brandon and lowered the plate on it. “I call this dish: Bennets’ favorites,” she said with a grin, “on the house.”

His days off were always his family days and definitely his favorites. They’d all make breakfast together, watch a movie matinee, do a little bit of shopping around town and more often than not, they’d always end up at Red Velvet Bakery. Not only did his girls love the cupcakes, they completely adored Anna. Baylee ran into the store first, leaving Briar and Brandon behind. The two only chuckled lightly as they watched. He followed into the shop and grabbed a seat, letting the other two decide what they wanted to get first. Brandon checked his phone when a couple of minutes later his little one returned, followed by Briar. “You guys are fast.” he chuckled lightly. Briar immediately buried her face on her phone -- something she’s been doing a lot lately. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was dating someone. He knew she wouldn’t tell him until it was serious and he respected that. Much like himself, she liked her privacy. Brandon glanced up just as Anna made her way to their table with some treats for them. “You’re too sweet, but I can’t keep accepting these on the house.” the man said with a smile. He was glad to see that she was healing nicely. The wasn’t swelling on her face anymore and the bruises from what he could tell were almost gone. Unlike him, his daughters immediately reached for the cupcakes (especially Baylee) but made sure to thank Anna for it first.

“You know you are the best partner.” Eleanor grinned. “You’re right, i’ll owe you one.” It wasn’t often that Eleanor tried to push her paperwork onto someone else, but she was on a time crunch. “Kind of. We’re meeting his real estate agent, and going to look at a house.” Eleanor glanced down at her watch, before rolling her chair back to her desk. “This is the first one we’ve looked at, but it’s kind of exciting.” 

“I know.” he chuckled lightly. Brandon didn’t mind doing just a little bit more of paper work. He was already working on his so it wasn’t a big deal. He figured he could text Jess and maybe meet her at her place once he was done. It wasn’t every night that he actually had time for himself. “That is exciting. I’m happy for you. Hopefully you guys find a house that you both like soon. When my late wife and I were looking into our first hours together, it took months for us to agree on one. In the end, I just went with whatever she wanted.” he chuckled lightly. 

          Those words were definitely expected out of his mouth, but knowing that didn’t make her feel any better. She turned on her seat so her body could face his and her nose wrinkled. “I know—” she wanted to say she was sorry but was she? Drinking, partying and hooking up with other people was the only way she truly knew how to deal with stuff— how to cope with everything that had been bothering her and she didn’t know how to say it out loud. Jessica had absolutely no idea how to lean on other people, how to depend on them to make her feel better, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she even should rely on Brandon, men were not exactly constants in her life, and she knew that even if things were going well, she would find a way to fuck it up. She always did. So, she didn’t mention again, just worried her bottom lip between her teeth a little too hard to keep words in. “Don’t say that— Brian might call you every time I’m hangover,” she left out the part where it happened more often than not, but hopefully she would manage to keep herself sober for the next few weeks, she really didn’t want to lose her job as it was the one thing bringing some kind of purpose to her life. “You’re definitely invited to come around more often, though, wouldn’t wanna forget your handsome face,” she grinned, “and I wouldn’t mind it at all. I had been thinkin’ ‘bout contactin’ you earlier, things just sort of got in the way and I didn’t want to disturb your holidays with your daughters.”

“--And call me the next time you’re drunk like that. I don’t mind giving you a ride home.” he couldn’t help but feel concerned and hope that the next time she did call. It could give him more peace of mind if he was the one that dropped her off at home and made sure she was comfortable in her bed. Since they met, he just felt this need to protect her and made sure that she was okay. That feeling only grew the closer they got. “You can give Brian my number and let him know he can call me every time.” he said, chuckling lightly. He most certainly did  not mind spending just a little more time with Jessica and taking care of her. “I’ll come around and give you something you can’t forget.” he smirked a little bit, giving her thigh a firm squeeze. It was indeed a good idea that they were going out to eat and not staying in. “You wouldn’t have been disturbing -- but I get it. I didn’t want to disturb yours either.” he said with a small smile. After the death of his wife, holidays just weren’t the same at home. He was not himself. Brandon wasn’t even close to a semblance of himself. That was not someone that he wanted to introduce her to, thus he was actually glad that they didn’t found time to see each other. He had been so tempted to call and just hear her voice, but this was probably for the best. There was a lot that he didn’t know how to explain to her just yet. “I’ll be calling you a little more from now on. And you can, too. We’ll just have to find a way to work around each other’s schedule.” he responded.

with: @dtbennct​ where: unknown

“ you’ve got to be actually fuckin’ kidding me. “ the amount of helpless rage in hathor’s voice was arguably justified as her van sputtered and died. slapping the dashboard a few times, hathor screeched as the van simply refused to start. this was not what she needed today- absolutely not, and if the door slammed shut a bit too hard, then she would dare anyone to call her out on it. of course it was only as she slammed the door shut that she realized her keys were still in the car. which was now locked. because why wouldn’t it be.

the few people in the parking lot of the grocery stores gave her strange looks as she kicked the blue door of her van with an unholy vigor. after several attacks on her poor van, hathor calmed down and stood back up. hands planted themselves on her hips as she focused on her piece of shit van.

“ fuck. “

Brandon exited the grocery store with a couple of bags in his hands. Usually he would do groceries with his daughters so they could grab whatever they wanted, but there was hardly anything left at home and he didn’t have time to wait for the little one to get out of school and the older to get out of work. He simply grabbed whatever he thought they might like. The man spotted the other woman kicking her van as he walked over to his car. Odd. He placed the groceries in his trunk and closed it before walking over to the clearly frustrated woman. 

“Is everything okay, Miss?” he asked once he was close enough.

@dtbennct​

Eleanor rolled her chair over towards Brandon’s desk, and placed a file of paperwork in front of it with a grin. “How much money would I have to give you in order for you to do my paperwork for me?” It was getting late, and Eleanor wanted to leave in enough time to be able to grab some sushi on her way home from work. Plus, she had enough over time on this coming weeks paycheck that it really didn’t matter if she left a little bit early - except that the captain wanted everyone’s paperwork finished by the morning and laying on his desk. 

Brandon glanced up from his own paperwork and chuckled lightly. “You’re lucky Briar’s taking Baylee to the movies tonight. But no money, let’s just say you owe me one.” the man suggested instead, knowing there would be a time when he’d need her for something, too. After all, he was a father of two and his youngest required a lot of attention. “You got plans with the boyfriend?” 

“I tell you, I’m not a violent man but fuck does it make me want to knock his lights out.” He took a deep breath and sat back a bit more, trying not to get himself worked up over it. “Uh nah I’m letting him handle it. Told him as long as it’s sober then we’re good. It’s weird, yanno? He turned 21 and I think he has all this like freedom with alcohol and everything and it’s like he sort of..resents that we can’t just crack open a beer together. It sounds dumb but it’s true, I know it and I hear it in the way he talks about it. He’s a smart kid, gentle even, but man does he have a lot to learn.” Devon had no problem opening up to his brother about this, learning recently that things were easier if he let others know his thoughts instead of just trying to trudge through. Though he hadn’t mentioned her in a long time. Bella stayed on his mind and he often found himself wishing that he had opened up a little more before the fight with her brother, or if he had even been more honest afterwards, maybe she would have stayed. He missed her, more than he’d admit but it was just another thing he’d have to get over. “Hey but how are you, man? January treating you okay? “

“That’s understandable. I’d feel the same way, honestly.” he nodded his head in agreement. “You think? I mean, if he feels that way, I don’t think you have to worry much. Soon he’ll realize that he doesn’t need to drink to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with his father. Especially once you guys find your thing to do together. I found myself having to do that with Briar. It was harder for us to relate because her interests changed now that she’s become a woman. But so far, bowling is our father-daughter thing. We usually go on Thursdays because y’know these kids always have plans on the weekends. You know what though? You guys should join us one day. It’ll be fun.” he suggested the little family activity for them. “Yea, man. I’ve been doing good. I —um, I think I like someone though. We’re just getting to know each other right now, but whenever I’m with her, there’s just this....--pull. I don’t know...” 

          Kissing Brandon was all kinds of involuntary when he handed her the bag. It simply dawned on Jessica that nobody ever really took care of her that way. Maybe Eleanor— but she was her best friend and it had been her best friend duty for so very long, Jessica was sure she had been the one to first crack the secret for Jessica’s hangover cure. However, the pain of making sudden movement throbbed inside her head and she frowned. “Ouch,” Jessica winced, resting her head against the seat again and taking two Tylenol pills, washing them down with some of the Gatorade. She really did hope they made effect sooner rather than later, but as soon as Brandon mentioned Anna’s and her stomach grumbled in response, she knew quite aware that it wouldn’t until she had some good, greasy food inside of her. “Anna’s is great— perfect, actually,” she smiled as she looked at Brandon, feeling somewhat normal than she had been for the past two weeks of what could only be described as excessive drinking. “Thanks for coming, my roommate does not deal well with hangovers, El usually is on this kind of duty,” she felt flustered, almost as if she was showing Brandon a side of her he could be ashamed of and not like. “Besides, it’s nice to see you again— I thought I was goin’ to totally forget what you look like,” she teased.

He smiled softly. “You shouldn’t be drinking that much, y’know?” Brandon said, giving her thigh a light squeeze as he looked at her. He was glad that the holidays were over and hoped that she wouldn’t be going on any more drinking binges because he was definitely going to have to become her chauffeur at night. As nice as Edens was, anything could happen. And what if that creep from the bar tried anything again? He didn’t even want to think about all the possibilities that could happen. It was the downside of seeing too much on the field. A light chuckle left his lips when he heard his stomach. “It sounds like it yea,” he teased. “You don’t need to thank me for it, I’m glad to be here,” he smiled softly and started the car. “It sounds like I need to come around more often, though. If you’re at risk of forgetting what I look like, we definitely have a problem.” Brandon said before bringing his eyes to the road as he started to drive out of Kings Park. “So you really don’t mind if I start calling you a little more often?” he asked, glancing over at her. In two years, he hadn’t attempted to date anyone. But was that what they were heading towards? Did she want that? It felt too soon to ask those questions. 

          The prospect of seeing Brandon made Jessica inevitably worked up, despite her current hangover situation. There was a scary smile on her lips she couldn’t quite shake off and she didn’t know whether to feel extremely worried about it or just go with the flow and see where this was going, after all. Usually, after an encounter like they had the last time, she wouldn’t text, or call, or show up in the other person’s life, let alone have a second date with them, because this was what that could only be described as — a second date —. She had managed to numb herself in enough alcohol over the past few weeks not to touch her phone and message him, but the night before had been just a mess, and she found herself again in contact with him. She wasn’t dumb, she knew this meant something… more. More than she was used to, more than she usually bargained for and she just hoped that she wasn’t biting off more than she could chew. 

          Decking herself in the first cute outfit she managed to put together ( which she would totally pretend was the first one she took from the wardrobe ) she finally shot him a text message and took her time applying some light makeup and getting half of her hair up in a messy half-up/half-down do. By the time she was finally done putting herself together, a text from him came through and with a deep breath, she started climbing down the stairs. Jessica opened the door and probably looked way more enthusiastic than she was meaning to— she really did have a smile on her lips and a small groan when her headache made itself announced. Opening the door to the car and settling on the seat, she was met with a moment of hesitation. Should she kiss him? Should she not? “Hey Good Guy,” she finally spoke, deciding to start by his nickname, a favorite for her so far. The blonde stretched over the console and applied a small kiss to his cheek. “So— where are you takin’ me?”

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for Jessica to come out of the house. His heart was racing a little. A smile formed on his face when he finally saw the blonde walk out of the house after a couple of minutes. She looked beautiful, as always. The more he got to know her and spent time with her, the less he thought of his late wife when he looked at her. The semblance was still her of course, but it was easier to just see her for herself now. Not someone that looked like Brianna Bennett. A light chuckle left his lips when she greeted him. He too was debating whether he should kiss her -- or if that would be too much? “It’s still early so I was thinking we could get something at Anna’s. But if you wanna go anywhere else, we can. I brought you some tylenol and gatorade for your hangover, by the way.” he said, reaching in the back of the car and handed her the bag. 

where: outside her house

what was he getting himself into? that question kept flowing around in the back of his head. this was nothing like the other times when he’d casually mess around with someone. no. everything about jessica felt different. he felt a youthful anxiety as he drove over to her house. this would be their first time going out in the day time together. he was excited to finally spend time with her again. he had spent too much thinking about her since the last time they spend the night together. when she told him last night that she missed him, he was glad that it had been over text. he was smiling too much. brandon felt like a stupid teenager, even as he pulled up on her drive way. the man pulled out his phone and sent her a quick text to let her know to come out.

Jess: of course, a girl gotta at least try, right? [ she pressed her lips together and shook her head ] nope, [ she said with an exaggerated pop on the P ] I was totally just joking, disregard this [ her cheeks flamed and she was so very thankful he could not see her ] sir, yes, sir. Give me... 30 minutes? Should be enough to shower and get ready.

It had been a long year already, and that was saying something given they were only in their second week. He needed a break, or a drink, he wasn’t sure. The bar seemed as good a place as any, and that was where he found he ended up. Drinking his sorrows… oh this was a new low for him, and something he would only let happen tonight. He refused to give into weakness, not now, not ever. But for one night, it seemed a good idea. Taking a sip from the glass he looked at the man next to him, “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you, beers warm in here” and he had noticed that from his own, and he wouldn’t let someone else make that mistake. @dtbennct​

Jess: Now that's the spirit [ she mirrors his chuckles ] I don't think that's a sight my sore eyes will ever be tired of seein'. Brian is not home right now, but he might actually come in, anytime. Can't say he'll be dissatisfied with your nakedness in our kitchen, but I don't think I should show you my jealous side again. Maybe it's safer if we go out? I'll distract you with clothes on or off if we stay in.

Jess: [ she couldn't keep the laughter after the words came out of his lips followed by a small groan as it built up some unwanted pressure in her already painful head ] Come on, handsome, live a little, will you? You only get caught if you're not silent, trust me, and you can do as you'd like, though I wouldn't say no to your cooking, but only if you do it wearing nothing but the apron.

Jess: [ her smile widened in return as she attempted to push down her flight response to when someone was getting too close, dangerously close ] Don’t worry there will be plenty of time to top that one and plenty of places too. How do you fancy foreign movies in after hours sessions? [ she asked with a hint of malice in her tone, mostly to see what his reaction would be ] Oh, I see. Then I would absolutely love your company. What do you say? I have bacon in the fridge.

Jessica: Don’t say that, I do plenty of irresponsible things lately, but I’ve managed to come home safely every time. [ she teased with a small smile playing on her lips ] Yeah, that’s about one of the very few things I remember actually, which is not great and you must be thinking I’m a total mess, I still can’t believe I texted you last night and told you I missed you. [ she groaned, lowering her head to the kitchen counter and closing her eyes, things were slowly coming back to bite her in the ass ] I am in the mood for brunch— but I kinda don’t know if I would be allowed in public now. My head hurts.