It takes us about another hour before we finally peel ourselves from each other and leave the couch. We agree on spending the day in town and I can’t help the excitement build in my chest at the thought. I’ve never spent a full day with Brian until now. It feels almost… comforting. I stop my thoughts before they wander somewhere dangerously close to something more than “physical” and hop into the shower. Brian had run back to his house to get ready, giving me a quick peck on the lips before he did. There’s something different about him today; something I can’t put my finger on.

I stare at myself in the mirror as I blow dry my hair. I have my Dad’s hazel eyes. My Dad. I suddenly miss him and a bubble of excitement grows in my stomach at the thought of going home in a couple of weeks for Christmas vacation. I admire my Dad’s attitude about life; even after my Mom passed away, he just bursts with joy and excitement. In fact, he kind of reminds me of Mark, which is probably why I’m so fond of my boss. He’s retired now, my Dad, and usually spends his days fishing in Florida where he bought a vacation home after he remarried five years ago. I like Karen – she takes care of my Dad well and has a daughter and a son of her own, both in their thirties.

My mind wanders back to Brian and I frown at the thought of him ever meeting my Dad. Brian’s a nice guy, I’m sure he’ll have no problem getting along with my Dad – but what would I introduce him as, if ever they had the opportunity to meet? I contemplate this for a minute. My Dad would know what’s going on, and he would give me a lecture about morals and believing in conventional relationships that lead to the sanctity of marriage and the works. I sigh. Yes, that’s what my Dad would do. I grew up in a household that values the idea of man-and-wife, loyalty, faithfulness, not just sex. But, then again, Brian had a similar upbringing, from what I’ve learned. So why…

I close my eyes, shaking the thoughts out of my head. You’re going to make yourself go crazy wondering, London. Besides, hadn’t I agreed to this when I kissed him that night of the snowstorm? Isn’t this what it’s all about? Relationship or not, I’m simply content that he’s here.  I finish getting ready; throwing on a pair of dark jeans, black knee high riding boots, and a light olive green v-neck sweater. I’m just putting on my jacket and a cream scarf when I hear a knock at the front door.

That bubble of excitement comes up again and I go to open the door, a grin on my face. My grin falters when I see that it’s not a pair of blue eyes staring at me but large green ones, with a head of bouncy auburn hair. “L?” I say, surprised and she hugs me.

“Hey babes! Guess who’s in town?” She grins and moves aside and I see Renald climbing out of his truck.

“I thought you had work today?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

She shook her head. “Switched it with someone,” she replies. “So we get to spend the day with you!” Renald skips up the walkway and is by her side two seconds later, beaming up at me.

“How’s it going, London?” he greets and I give him a hug, genuinely glad to see him.

He’s a perfect mix of Canadian, which means he’s a mix of everything you can imagine; German, Chinese, Filipino, and Italian… or is it Puerto Rican? It seems to change every time I see him. He’s a good looking guy – jet black spiky hair, light hazel eyes, slight freckles, and a medium build about the same as Brian’s. Brian! Shit. As if on cue, I see him walk out of his house. He sees Linda and Renald on my porch and walks towards us warily. I’m not sure how he’ll react; actually, I haven’t really seen Brian interact with other people aside from Nick and that was… well-

“Hey,” he greets cautiously as he approaches, hands in his pockets and giving Linda and Renald a small smile. Is he shy? I raise my eyebrows at the thought. He’s dressed in crisp jeans, dark brown Timberland boots, and his black Canada Goose jacket that he’s left open to reveal a thick white wool sweater underneath. His hair falls in soft curls on his forehead and his eyes are as blue as ever. God, he’s gorgeous.

“Brian, this is my best friend Linda and her boyfriend, Renald,” I introduce, eyeing Linda cautiously. She raises her eyebrows at me, a knowing smile on her face and I roll my eyes. Renald immediately shakes Brian’s hand, an easy grin on his face.

“Nice to meet you, Brian.”

Brian nods, smiling. “Likewise.”

“So this is Asshole Neighbour,” Linda quips and my eyes widen at her. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” She shakes his hand and he laughs, looking up at me.

“Asshole Neighbour?”

“Well… you were,” I reply sheepishly.

He grins. “I concur.”

“So Brian, London-“ Linda turns to me. “Will this be a double date then?”

I look at Brian and see the hesitation in his eyes. “You don’t have to, Bri,” I say softly, even though the disappointment is there.

He shakes his head. “I’d love to. Besides, I promised you the whole day with Asshole Neighbour.”

He’s smiling now, the hesitation gone. Renald bursts out laughing and I give Brian a pointed look, opening the door to let Bronx out. He runs excitedly down the steps, jumping on Renald and Brian while Linda jumps back to avoid him. I run quickly into the house, grab my purse and Bronx’s leash and lock the door behind me, joining the other three who are now waiting on the sidewalk playing with Bronx.

“You know,” I say to Brian as I hook Bronx’s leash onto his collar. “I can be Asshole Neighbour, too.”

He chuckles and casually throws an arm around my shoulders as we follow behind Linda and Renald, Bronx at my right side. “Baby, who said you weren’t already?” I stick my tongue at him and he pretends to snap his teeth at it, pulling me in for a kiss. I smile to myself as he grabs my hand, looping our fingers together. Oh, I like this Brian. This feels good… normal. I sigh. I wonder how long it will last.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he murmurs, giving me a sideways glance.

“My thoughts aren’t that cheap,” I scoff, teasing him – really, I’m just trying to avoid the question.

“No, they’re priceless.” He has a cheesy grin on his face and I giggle, rolling my eyes at him.

“Smooth, Bri.”

My distraction worked; he delves into a story about a time when he was on tour in Berlin and I listen closely, half mesmerized by the fact that he’s been to so many places around the world and half admiring the different expressions on his face. Yes, I like this Brian. A lot.

Normal Brian doesn’t last very long. As we get closer to the town center, he releases my hand and instead shoves both of his hands in his jean pockets. The expression on his face goes from animated to impassive, aloof. The frustration builds inside me as we approach downtown Banff – I can barely catch up with his changing moods. I want to ask him what’s wrong but decide to let it go and enjoy the day with Linda and Renald.

“Have you guys eaten lunch?” Linda asks, turning back to glance at us. We both shake our heads and she grins. “Fondue and hot pot?”

“Please!” Brian and I exclaim at the same time and we look at each other.

“Oh, dear Lord,” Renald looks back at Brian, his eyes alight. “You’ve been hanging out with her too much. Tread carefully!”

“I wish I was warned earlier,” Brian jokes and I playfully jab his side. He grins and, just like that, it disappears and he stares straight ahead again. I sigh and ignore it.

It’s a quiet day in Banff and we’re seated at a nearly empty restaurant called The Grizzly House. The outside looks like an extravagant wood cabin with the roof exaggeratedly pointed, looking almost like a wide church steeple. The restaurant is squished right in between two modern-looking buildings; certainly an eye-catcher because of the unique exterior and large, bolded text boasting, “Steak and Cheese Fondue”.  I’ve only ever eaten here once with my Dad and Karen when they had come to visit. The place is definitely a unique experience; selling much more than just steak and cheese fondue. They also offer an array of different meats; including buffalo, frog, rattlesnake, and alligator – none of which I’ve tried, yet. During my first visit, I had laughed at the line on the menu that read, “For lovers and hedonists.” Now, it makes me blush as I look up at Linda and Renald – the lovers. And then there’s Brian and I – apparently our relationship is motivated by pleasure. How aptly titled.

The four of us are sharing two orders of the cheese fondue with bread cubes, the conversation focused on Renald’s knowledge of cheese. Brian has a lot of questions, as usual, and I’m beginning to think he purposely does this to avoid the conversation steering towards him. Nonetheless, our guests are curious about this man – this man who, after two years of me being stubbornly single, has piqued my interest.

“So, Brian, what do you do?” Renald asks casually as he finishes off another bread cube. I feel Brian shift in his seat next to me.

“I’m a musician,” he replies, his tone easy. “That’s about it,” he adds, eliciting a laugh from the three of us. “I don’t really have normal working days.”

“Renald lives on Mars, so he hasn’t heard about your group,” Linda says, swirling a bread cube in the melted white cheese.

Brian smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corner. “Well, unless he’s an adolescent girl or the mom of an adolescent girl, I’m not surprised.”

Linda and I laugh at this and Renald looks at the both of us, utterly confused. “Go on the Internet and search for a music video called Quit Playing Games With My Heart,” I tell him and Brian looks at me, surprised.

“Didn’t know you were a fan,” he teases.

“How can I not be a fan of Howie’s and Kevin’s abs?” I giggle and he narrows his eyes at me.

Linda laughs heartily, I think partly because of us and because of the dumbfounded look on Renald’s face. “This is why I refuse to live in Banff,” he mutters, shaking his head. “The mountain air must stuff all your heads with weird.”

Linda and I burst out laughing at this. “Go ride a horse,” I tease, poking fun at the fact that Calgary is known for its Western theme, cowboy hats, boots, and all.

“Or a cowboy,” Linda pipes up and we start laughing again. Renald and Brian look at each other, eyebrows raised.

“Are you sure you want to stay living here?” Renald jokes.

“You know, I contemplated that when some girl who lives across the street from me nearly murdered me over a bear-safe bin.” Brian grins as Renald laughs loudly and I scowl at the both of them.

“London would lecture somebody about that.” Renald grins at me. “She’s a nerd.”

“Did you know she graduated with honours, at the top of her class?” Linda pipes up and I flush scarlet.

“No, she never told me that,” Brian replies, glancing over at me with a small smile. “What else is she good at?”

“Oh my God,” I mutter. “Please don’t-“

“She’s a good snowboarder,” Linda replies quickly, beaming at me and I roll my eyes at her. “Flips, tricks, and everything.”

“Impressive.” Brian looks over at me again, eyes bright. “I think she’ll have to take me out on the slopes one day.”

“You mean she hasn’t already?” Renald asks, faking an appalled expression. I narrow my eyes at him; I know what they’re trying to do.

“Probably because she wants to keep you away from all of her admirers at the resort.” At this, I give Linda a look and burst out laughing.

“Oh please, you guys are ridiculous.” I poke at another bread cube and dip it in the cheese.

“I wouldn’t doubt that,” Brian murmurs and I look over at him, my face turning pink again.

“Can we stop now?” I say, exasperated and suddenly feeling shy. “I’m sure Brian knows all about admirers.”

“Yeah, didn’t you have a poster of him when you were 18?” Linda jokes and my mouth drops open.

“I did not!”

Brian puts a hand over his chest, feigning hurt. “Why not?”

“I was more into N’Sync.”

“Hey!” Brian laughs. “Be nice.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Renald is back to his dumbfounded look and we all laugh again. He shakes his head and mutters, “And I’ve only been out of the city for a couple of hours.”