In Another's Eyes

A Chapter by Jeff

I'm going to try this one from Lauren's perspective.

I'm not entirely sure what woke me up first: The morning sun blazing into our room, or the realization that Brandon wasn't there. Maybe it was both, I don't know. Either way, I pictured my morning starting much more differently. I was looking forward to having the first thing I saw be his beatific face awash in the fresh glow of morning, still asleep. He got to watch me after singing me to sleep last night, so it's only fair that I get to watch him sleep this morning, right?

Just then he emerged from the bathroom, barefoot, his hair wild from being freshly towel-dried, with his toothbrush in his mouth and his shirt draped over his left shoulder. I hadn't seen him without a shirt on before, it made me feel things I had only read about it trashy romance novels. Unfortunately, Brandon is overly self-conscious...

As he hurriedly tried to put his shirt on, "I'm sorry; this is the last thing you need to see when you first wake up."

"No, I like it. I like it a lot."

Brandon flashed that wicked, lopsided grin of his that made my head spin. "Now who needs to behave?"

I still couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have this man in my life. He was everything I didn't realize I was looking for in my perfect mate. He placated me by leaving the shirt off and sat on the bed next to me and touched his blazing hot hand to my cheek. I turned into his touch and kissed the palm of his hand and then took his wrist and lowered his hand to my heart. He leaned down and kissed me softly, lovingly. I had to catch my breath.

"The bus to the amusement park leaves in two hours; do you want to have room service bring us breakfast in bed, or would you prefer to go to the diner on the corner?"

With his hand still resting on my heart, and now his index finger tracing small circles where my collar bones meet, I carefully processed his request and answered, "What?"

Brandon leaned in and kissed me on my forehead, his lips leaving a good kind of lasting burn on my skin, and got up from the bed to put his toothbrush away (and unfortunately his shirt on too) and asked again.

I jumped excitedly out of bed, "We have to go to the diner!"

Brandon pulled me into is strong embrace, "See, that's why I love you!" and kissed me so deeply that my right foot lifted off of the floor involuntarily.

The diner was, naturally, full of our classmates. Austin and his date Jessica (or Emily, I still couldn't tell the difference) called us over to join them instead of having to wait for a table of our own. The waitress came over and gave us menus. Brandon and I ordered coffee while we looked them over and tried to keep up with our table-mates yapping a mile-a-minute about the events of last night. It was obvious to me (and a quick side-glance at Brandon confirmed that it was obvious to him too) that their night was much sweatier than ours was. As far as I was concerned though, I was aware that other people were at prom too, but it could have just been Brandon and I and my night would have been just as fabulous. I put my hand on top of his and squeezed. Brandon pulled my hand to his lips, blew lightly on it (giving me goose-bumps) and then kissed it which left another pleasant burning sensation.

I consulted the menu again; I looked at Brandon, about to ask him what he was going to get, when I saw him staring intently at Austin. I looked at Austin, whose face was a mask of terror, but he wasn't looking at Brandon, he was looking at the front door. I went to turn to see what he was staring at, but Brandon urgently asked me not to move.

Two gunshots were fired and a hundred-plus high school seniors began screaming in terror and diving to the floor. There were only two people not screaming. I don't know how he was able to keep his composure, but Brandon pulled me down to the floor with him very calmly. I was only to keep my head on straight as long as I kept looking at him.

"Lauren, honey, listen to me, everything is going to be okay; alright?"

I nodded, too scared to speak.

"Hopefully, they'll just take the money and leave." Brandon said to anyone coherent enough to listen.

One of the two gunmen heard Brandon talking calmly and came over to investigate. "I SAID SHUT UP! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

Brandon shook his head, but refused to take his eyes off of mine. He seemed to be keeping his strength up from my composure, so I faked it for all I was worth.

The thug wouldn't back off, "Are you a hero? Huh? Is this your girlfriend, hero boy? HUH?" He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me off of the floor, I screamed in terror. Brandon jumped up as well, only to have a handgun pressed angrily against his forehead. He didn’t seem to notice it, though. His eyes, now full of hatred and fury were fixed on the thug trying to pull my hair out. In that moment, I think I was actually more afraid of Brandon than the thug whose gun was in my boyfriend’s face and whose grip was increasing on my hair. It felt like the temperature in the diner was plummeting and the icy source was emanating from Brandon.

The thug must have felt it also, because his voice faltered slightly, "So you *are* the boyfriend.” He quickly regained his composure, “Well, me, I think that this little piece needs a man, what you think?"

The other thug at the register called out, "Yo c'mon! The cops are gonna be here any second!"

Brandon appeared cool, but rage oozed off of him in thick, rolling clouds, "You have what you want, please leave."

"Alright hero, but your little girlfriend," he pointed the gun at me, "is gonna come with us. Is that okay with you?" He laughed rudely and started to drag me along, not waiting for a response.

Brandon grabbed the thug’s gun arm and pulled it directly at himself with his left hand as he fiercely clamped his right hand down onto the thug's collar bone. I heard a crack as the thug roared in pain, releasing me. Austin and Jessica quickly pulled me under the table as three shots fired and blood spattered everywhere. The thug kept screaming and Brandon maintained his iron grip on the thug, all of his focus transfixed on the thug who was now begging and wailing for Brandon to let go. Brandon paid no heed, his face ashen but his eyes still fiercely focused in a mask of determination. Six police cars suddenly screamed to a halt in front of the diner. In the commotion, the other thug had fallen victim to several members of the wrestling team. It took two officers to pull Brandon off of the thug while a third was radioing for an ambulance.

Brandon fell to his knees in front of me, too weak to stand. "I'm s-sorry I-I l-l-let him h-hurt you..." he rasped.

I overheard one of the officers mumble to the other, “I don’t think he’s going to make it. The shoulder’s through-and-through, but it looks like he took the other two directly in the heart and liver. It’ll be a miracle if he survives.”

I could feel my heart being ripped to pieces as Brandon began to shudder violently. I wanted to hold him, to comfort him, to tell him how much I loved him, but all I could do was cry. Two officers were trying to keep pressure on Brandon's wounds, I tried with all my might not to look, but the crimson tide overtaking the white of his shirt drug my eyes against their will. Of the three shots, one hit him in his left shoulder, one hit him in his stomach and one hit him in his chest. I didn’t know what else to do, but I had to do something! The love of my life, the man who sacrificed himself to save us was fading to oblivion right before me. I started trying to keep him conscious; taking his face in my hands, forcing eye contact; and tearfully pleading with him to stay with us. Austin and Jessica were also doing their best to keep Brandon conscious.

Brandon, pale beyond reason, looked at me and tried to speak, but no words came. I could tell from his look that he was trying to tell me that he loved me in a way that also meant goodbye.

"I love you! I love you, Brandon! Don't leave me!!"

He simply smiled a crooked smile.

...and then he was gone...

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