It was early Monday morning when Brooke opened her eyes to the streaming beam of sunlight that shone in from the balcony windows.  Her eyes adjusted to her surroundings and she forgot where she was until she began to sit up,  being stopped by the heavy arm slung around her body.  She smiled as she slowly rolled over to face Kevin, the sheet on the bed resting over them.  Her hands were between them, lightly touching his bare chest and his arm, his body was hot  to the touch, the summer heat already warming the room this early in the morning.  Kevin's other hand was curled beneath his chin,  and Brooke could feel his breath on her face, its warmth lulling, sending her drifting back to sleep.   His eyelids began to flutter open and he shifted his weight, waking the almost sleeping Brooke.   They both opened their eyes at the same time, Kevin blinked his eyes a few times before he really looked at her, and his gray eyes welled up with tears.

    "What's wrong?"  Brooke asked full of concern, running her hand through his messed up bed head.

    "We've never woken up together before." He said with choked words.

    "What do you mean, of course we have."

    "No, Brooke we never have.  Either you left, or I left or you were sleeping on the couch or something like that, this is the first time you've still been in my arms when I woke up in the morning.  It's kind of floored me."

        Brooke thought for a moment, and he was right, she could count the number of times on one hand that they'd actually spent the full night together and not once had they woken up with each other.   She couldn't believe it was something he had noticed, and that it had made him as emotional as it had.

    "What are you thinking about?" He wondered, pulling her a little bit closer, and leaning his head up on one elbow.

    "A decision I have to make."

    "What decision?"

    "What I'm going to do with all the furniture in my apartment."

    "Why do you have...." he began but clued in to what she meant, sitting up swiftly.  "Really?  We're not rushing all of this are we?  Because I want you here, but I want you to be sure you want to be here, are you sure?"  Brooke thought for a moment, really thought about it and she was sure.

    "It's a big place, you shouldn't live here all by yourself." She smiled.

    "Brooke, really are you sure?  I don't want you to regret anything.  I don't want you to feel you have to move in just because I asked."

    "Kevin, I'm sure.  I told you I wanted perfect, even for just a little while. I wanna be here, I want to be with you.  I'm positive."

    "One hundred percent?"

    "Yes."  She said bluntly.  "and don't even think of asking me if I'm sure again, because I am."

    "Okay then." He said in mock fright.  But his expression softened and his eyes lit with a smile as he laid back down on his elbow.  He stayed silent like he always did, his face inches from hers, peering into her eyes, deciding for himself if it was what she really wanted.   Brooke fidgeted with the chain around her neck, the small star rolling between her thumb and forefinger and he stopped her, taking her hand with his and letting the necklace fall back onto her skin.  He clasped his fingers between hers moving them away as he leaned forward and kissed the star that lay on her skin,  feeling it's coolness pressed against her, along with the warmth of his lips.

    "You know I never did thank you for this."  She pointed to the star around her neck when he seemed confused.  "I'm glad you kept it."    He shrugged like it was no big deal,

    "It was the only thing I had of yours, we don't have pictures or anything like that.  All I had was the necklace, I needed to keep it."

    "Well we have pictures now, I'm sure your mother took about a hundred of us today."   Kevin laughed and sunk his head in embarrassment, Brooke only laughed at him.  He brought his head back up and kissed her gently on the lips, before pulling her close to him and just holding her tight, both Brooke and Kevin lying silent and still in their embrace for most of the day.
 
 

Annie,

    I know it's been awhile, I've just been fairly preoccupied lately and I'm sorry I've neglected you.  But you might not care as much when I'm done this letter, so here it goes.  I'm happy Anns, like crazy, "no one puts baby in a corner" Dirty Dancing "I've had the time of my life" type happy.  The story of how and when it happened is so long I'm going to have to sit down with you and say it, because otherwise I'd be writing a novel  ( a best seller for sure hee hee), but to give you the cliff's notes, cliff's notes.  Kevin and I are back together.  Like seriously back together, I've moved into his place, met his family and all that 'real' relationship type stuff.  My mother met him when she came down to get all her furniture back and she loves him, I think she wants to leave my father for him, but that's a whole other story, and she can back off cause he's mine.

    Everyone thinks I'm moving too fast with him, including my mother,  but Annie I don't care.  This is the most right thing in the world to me, I feel it in every ounce of my body and mind, and I know you understand.  So speaking of, how's Nick anyway?  Tell him you should both come and visit me, it's your turn ya know!  And you have yet to meet Kevin, although as much as he hears me talk about you I'm sure he thinks he knows you like I do.   I know I'm gonna sound all gushy and swoony over him, but I can't help it.  We never had a chance to be solid before and now that we can be, now that we are I just feel like crying about it.  I'm retardedly in love, I giggle about it Annie.   You know me....I DON'T GIGGLE, hell I make fun of you when you giggle, but here I am a walking contradiction to my own jokes.

    He asked me to move in with him like the day we got back together, I didn't really know if I should.  Lord, I went out with David for over two years, got engaged to him, and still didn't live with him, but the next morning he said something that just made me know it was right.  I knew I wanted to be there every morning with him, and I knew he really wanted me to be there, that was enough reason for me.  Even as scary as it was, it's been wonderful, I mean sure we fight, but it's over stupid things like the remote or what to eat for supper, or who's turn it is to clean the bathroom, but even when I'm crouched on the floor scrubbing the toilet I'm happy (okay so I'm grumbling like a bitch about men pissing on the seat, but I'm in general ecstatically happy about my life right now)   You know, it'll be a year in like two weeks.  A year since that party that turned my life upside down, inside out and basically ripped me to shreds and sewed me back together again.  That's it, a year.  It feels like it was decades ago, but it wasn't, seems surreal to me, all that has happened.  I'm going to do something really special for it.  I mean I could always pull that Varsity Blues whipped cream bikini thing, I don't know any guy that wouldn't go for that, but I'll use that as a last resort!  I'm classier than that (No cracks Whitten!  I have some class!)  Actually I'm planning something rather elaborate, music, food, candles, pretty lace things (for him of course heh heh) the whole seduction production.  He'll have a good time I'm pretty sure of it!

Despite all that's great in my life right now, I still miss you and I can feel My Annie is back even as far away as you are.  I wanna see her soon, remember that.  I love you.

Brooke xoxo

P.S. I put a picture of Kevin and I in here, he doesn't look at all like you remember does he?  It was taken at a barbecue his mother had like the day we made up, and I know you can barely see it in the picture, but I have my necklace on, you know the necklace I mean.  He kept it Annie, I still can't believe it, I can't wait to tell you all about everything. (Maybe over a big bowl of popcorn, some Dr. Pepper and a Corey Corey movie, when was the last time we watched one of those!?) Miss you. Bye.

 Dear Brookey,

I am so happy for you! Words cannot express how excited and happy I am! You and Kevin deserve so much happiness and I hope you get it!  Love each other as much as you possibly can, he's such a blessing in your life as I'm sure you are for him!  You're living together? Lord, how can ANYONE live with YOU? Heh heh! Just kiding!  That's so great...just, when I come up for a visit, no sex...I need sleep!!

So, Nick and I are doing great! I'm so happy Brooke! He makes me smile and he cares so much about me.  And, trust me, the feeling is very mutual! He's  the best thing in my life, besides you of course, and I'm so grateful to  have found him.  And, I never did thank you for doing what you did when you  came here.  Without you intervening, I wouldn't have Nick, so...THANK YOU!  You truly are the best friend anyone could ever have!!!

So, yeah, a visit is definitely in order especially since the last visit  was you practically having to beat me!  I'd love to come and see ya and see  this stud!  Oh yeah, the pic you sent...Brookey...could the smile be any  wider??? Heehee! I didn't know you had that many teeth in your whole head!  Haha!  A visit will do us both good...and it'll give Nick a chance to miss  me! That way, he can have his way with me when I get back.  And, seeing  you...would just be great! Brooke and Annie: Back In Action...and it will  ALWAYS be that way!

So, okay, I'm gonna go now!  I'm so happy that you are happy! Take care of  yourself and give me a call soon, cuz I wanna talk about me visiting! I'm  gonna go let my boyfriend ravage me now...so...you know how that goes! Heh  heh! Give Kevin a big wet kiss for me...I'll do the same for you for  Nick!!!  Luv ya! Talk to you soon!

Anns