maybe it's time .

[kaler ryan scott]

<sup>There always had to be something, didn’t there? It never seemed like Kaler ever got to just be Kaler without some kind of situation going on in his life. Either he was that jackass that was pulling heartstrings and playing mind games, causing all kinds of drama, or he was on the edge about to lose it all. There had only been a short window of time when he had just settled and been completely content with his life and the direction that it was going in, and that all had been taken away from him in the blink of an eye. It was after that that he had hit rock bottom, only to be pulled up from that and right back into another chaotic situation. Kaler had never dreamed that Adriana Reed would be in Arietta, but ever since her arrival things had been, well, definitely going between them. There was something about that girl from his past that brought out a little more of who Kaler used to be, making him absolutely not care one way or another if she was married and had a child. They had been sleeping together, Kaler unafraid of any consequences that it may have for him if and when her husband found out. There was no emotional attachment to Adri other than her being a good friend, but it seemed like it was okay for her to use him to forget about her lousy marriage and for Kaler to use her to forget about everything else. However, there was another friend that Kaler never forgot about no matter who else he was screwing around with, and it was her that he had called up and asked if she wanted to come over that afternoon just because. Kaler and Britt were closer than they had ever been, and there was a part of him that was very attached to her even if he wouldn’t outwardly admit it. Adriana had spent the night, though, and had only left a short time before Kaler heard Britt’s vehicle pulling up into the driveway, Dani racing to be the first to greet the blonde as Kaler answered the door, shirtless and in sweats, his hair a tousled mess but Britt had seen it all before. Dani was at Britt’s feet as soon as the door was open, the dog pretty much loving the girl and demanding her attention but that was nothing new. “Hey,” he said, smiling as he stepped aside and let her in the door. “I was about to try and make something to eat. You want anything?”


closed.</sup>

[brittany nicole hale]

I'LL SPEND FOREVER WONDERING IF YOU KNEW

Britt wasn’t at all surprised when Kaler called her up that afternoon. The two of them spent a lot of time together, and Britt couldn’t say she was disappointed with that. She actually really enjoyed spending time with him, and he was honestly the only person she felt like she could relate to most of the time. It had been a good bit of time since the accident that had claimed the life of her little brother and unborn child, but the cut from that still ran deep. It wasn’t the kind of thing that you could just easily move on from. But compared to where she had been not too long ago, Britt was doing pretty well, and quite honestly, it was all because of that man. No one else had stuck with her like he had; no one else had really been able to make a difference. As good as she was now, though, she could feel that she wasn’t the same still. There were moments when she passed Kade in the streets that she felt the familiar tug at her heart, the pain and sadness from all that had happened with them, and how they would probably never be the same again. Once they had had something so great, but that was gone now. Still, Britt felt the loss of losing her best friend, and she didn’t know it would ever get easier. Kaler was going through much the same thing, and she felt for him. She never would have wished this sort of thing on anyone. Britt had just barely survived it, and somehow hadn’t completely lost her way. She was fighting like hell to keep Kaler from falling into the same deep, dark place. Hence the constant afternoons between the two of them. She drove to Kaler’s that afternoon, traveling the familiar road and eventually pulling into the driveway in her grandfather’s beat up old farm truck. She climbed out and came to the door, immediately greeted by Kaler and Dani, two of her most favorite people in the world. Britt immediately bent to give Dani the attention she craved, the young girl loving the dog like she was her own. Britt had always been an animal person, who own dog Levi being her best and closest friend, along with her horse. Without them she didn’t know what she’d do. “Hey. I was about to try and make something to eat. You want anything?” She straightened and smiled. “Sure! Whatcha have in mind?” She followed him into the kitchen, taking her usual position on his kitchen counter, her pretty blue eyes watching him move around the kitchen to gather whatever it was that he decided to fix. “You want any help? I don’t mean to brag, but you know I’m an excellent cook.” She grinned. Granted, Britt had a cousin that was a much better cook then she could ever hope to be, but she was still really great at it, and would lend a hand if he so desired.

tagged for: kaler ryan scott // word count: 505 // notes: finally got it up!!

[kaler ryan scott]

^{The Kaler Scott that had just answered the door for Britt was a very different man from the one that he had been just a short month or two ago. At that time, Britt would have had to let herself in, and she would have gone into the house to find him sitting on the floor in some dark room, cigarette in one hand and most likely an alcoholic beverage in the other. Simply put, Kaler had been a mess and there was still a part of him that would very much like to be that guy that was moping and sulking, but he was doing well today. Anyone with eyes could see his improvement, and could tell that he was digging himself out of that dark place and taking back his position in society one step at a time. This was all Britt’s doing, and Kaler was glad to be this better version of himself if for no one else but her. She had brought him back from the dead, and it had made them closer than he had been with someone in a long time. They made their way into the kitchen and Britt sat herself up on the counter, as she usually did when they found themselves in this room, and Kaler was already looking through the fridge, seeing what there was to work with. “I don’t have anything in mind. I haven’t been up very long. Still processing, but at least I’m up.” Which was a bonus considering how late Adri had kept him up the night before. Kaler picked through some things in the fridge and finally decided to give up and go hunt through his cabinets, moving close to Britt as she offered her help. He grinned at her, moving to where his hands were braced against the counter on either side of her and leaning in, his blue eyes meeting hers. “Of course you mean to brag. And you are an excellent cook, but I’m thinking that this is going to be a simple meal seeing as you are here and I know what you’re really hoping I’m going to pull out of the cabinet. Mac n’ cheese isn’t beyond my culinary skill set, I assure you.” He winked at her then before pushing himself away from the counter and going to get what he knew was Britt’s favorite food. And really, he was still walking around without a shirt. Kaler wasn’t going to cook anything that required frying and that would make him go all the way upstairs to get one or else risk burning himself. “Did you meet Adri on your way in? You wouldn’t have run her off the road with that massive truck you’re driving would you?” he asked, casting a grin over his shoulder at her. Adri was still shaky on driving these roads and that truck probably would have terrified her, having to meet it on the narrow road while Britt was so used to it that she probably hadn’t even slowed down. Kaler was clearly teasing, though, and continued to get the box out before going to the other cabinet to get the sauce pan to boil water in.}

[brittany nicole hale]

I'LL SPEND FOREVER WONDERING IF YOU KNEW

Britt was pretty pleased with how things were going here. She and Kaler had always been relatively good friends, but there was a lot more to it now. It was rather awful that what had brought them so close together was their joint loses, but that was exactly what had put them together. Kaler had pulled her out of her dark place when no one else could, and she had returned the favor in kind. Britt had never given up on him, just as he had never given up on her. And as she watched him that morning, she couldn’t help but notice just how far he had come. It was really great to see, and it made her extremely happy. She didn’t like it when Kaler was the one all down and depressed. “I don’t have anything in mind. I haven’t been up very long. Still processing, but at least I’m up.” She grinned, watching him as he went to the fridge and started looking around for something to eat. Her eyes followed him as he gave up on the fridge and walked across the kitchen towards her. He leaned against the counter where she sat. “Of course you mean to brag. And you are an excellent cook, but I’m thinking that this is going to be a simple meal seeing as you are here and I know what you’re really hoping I’m going to pull out of the cabinet. Mac n’ cheese isn’t beyond my culinary skill set, I assure you.” She laughed. “Kaler Scott, you know me entirely too well.” It was rather scary considering they hadn’t known each other all that long, at least compared to many of the other people she knew. “Did you meet Adri on your way in? You wouldn’t have run her off the road with that massive truck you’re driving would you?” That was an odd question, and Britt had to think about it for a minute. “I met a car on my way here… That was Adri? I didn’t even realize.” She laughed. “Why was she here?” It was curious that Adri would be here at this time of day, but Britt figured there was a good reason for such a thing. “And no, I didn’t run her off the road. Not everyone is a crazy driver like yourself!” Britt was actually a very cautious driver. She didn’t drive faster than the speed limit and she didn’t do anything reckless. This was especially so after her accident. It had taken months before she had been able to get behind the wheel of a car again. She was still completely terrified of wrecking again, though much better in the summer since her accident had occurred in the winter months. She was getting better with it. Slowly.

tagged for: kaler ryan scott // word count: 465 // notes: finally got it up!!

[kaler ryan scott]

^{When Kaler Scott had first arrived in this small, coastal town, he would have never thought that one day this blonde before him would turn out to be one of his closest friends. Britt had been nice and all, and even kind of sweet when Kaler had first laid his icy blue eyes on her. She had been Kade’s then, though, and the lines had been clearly drawn. They had been friends, but through their combined losses they had become something like inseparable, ever a part of the other’s life and Kaler couldn’t imagine not having her around. And although he would be hesitant to admit it, he missed her when she wasn’t there. Having her in the house or just being in her presence in general made things feel better, made things feel right, and that was the overall feeling now as Kaler moved around the kitchen, preparing to make their meal. He did know Britt all too well, and it had come from all those hours he had spent with her in her own dark rooms, not letting her push him away when she had succeeded in doing it to everyone else. Their bond was unconventional, but it worked in all the best ways for them. Kaler hadn’t even really thought about his question of whether or not she had met Adriana while driving in, but Kaler was sometimes known for speaking whatever random thing came to his mind. Adri was a new addition to Arietta, and a face from Kaler’s past that many had been interested in once they had learned that fact. Kaler rolled his eyes as she called him a crazy driver, turning around and shooting a playful glare at her. “I’ll have you know that I didn’t actually mean to run that one car into the ditch. There simply wasn’t enough room and there was no way in hell I was ditching the Camaro. But I have the truck now. It’ll be more fun.” Kaler had loved and babied his sports car like you wouldn’t believe, but with that massive truck that was now sitting in the driveway, he ran its guts out just because of the power it contained. However, they both knew that things had changed drastically since the accident that had claimed Vidette and Stella’s lives and Kaler was so, so cautious when he was behind the wheel. Half the reason he had even gotten the truck was because it was the equivalent of a fucking tank and he felt safer in it than he did the Camaro, but Britt knew all of that already. Kaler had gotten the pan on the stove, water inside and set on to boil. While he waited, he turned around and leaned back against the counter, looking over at his friend. “As for Adri, she spent the night. Her dumbass husband doesn’t even realize that she’s cheating on him.” That was enough to let Britt know why Adri had slept over, but even as he said it, it didn’t feel right. Kaler could tell Britt anything, but there was this nagging feeling somewhere in his mind that said that this thing was different.}

[brittany nicole hale]

I'LL SPEND FOREVER WONDERING IF YOU KNEW

Britt caught the glare that Kaler shot in her direction when she mentioned his insane driving. “I’ll have you know that I didn’t actually mean to run that one car into the ditch. There simply wasn’t enough room and there was no way in hell I was ditching the Camaro. But I have the truck now. It’ll be more fun.” Britt just rolled her eyes. She had known how crazy Kaler could be behind the wheel, but she also knew that a lot had changed now, much as it had with her. Though he hadn’t been responsible for that accident, it was something that changed a person. “As for Adri, she spent the night. Her dumbass husband doesn’t even realize that she’s cheating on him.” At this, a cold sinking feeling set in. It felt like there was a hand grabbing at her heart and squeezing it so tightly that there was no possible way it could continue beating. She understood what he was saying. Adri was cheating on her husband, and she was using Kaler to do it. It shouldn’t be so surprising, she supposed. It wasn’t like they were together or doing anything more than what he and Adri had. She had no reason to feel like he had done something wrong to her. But she did. Because for whatever reason, she had thought that it was just them. How wrong she had been about that. Britt tried to get a hold of herself, but anyone that knew the young girl at all knew she had no control at all over her emotions. She never had. “O-Oh?” Her voice cracked on the single word, giving her away immediately. “W-when did this happen?” She purposely didn’t look at him, because if she did she’d likely lose what little, nonexistent control she had. Because she couldn’t pretend that this didn’t hurt her, that this didn’t bother her. It did. It really did.

tagged for: kaler ryan scott // word count: 322 // notes: finally got it up!!

[kaler ryan scott]

^{It almost laughable to think of Kaler Scott being completely honest with anyone. After all, the people of this town knew him as the manipulative, self-important son of a bitch that he had portrayed to all of them since the moment that he had arrived nearly three years ago. That was who Kaler had been for a long time, but that version of himself was only skin deep. Beneath all the lies and the head games, below that otherwise shallow charm and the ability to play anyone like a fool was a better man than most would expect. Kaler was intelligent with stacks of books and a degree from Yale to prove it. He was also kind and gentle once you got passed the rough edges and through all those walls he put up to keep most at bay. He had allowed a handful of people in Arietta to discover who he really could be, or more like those people had brought out that side of him that he hadn’t shown to others in a very long time. Britt was one of those people, and she was actually someone that Kaler was more honest with than most. He wasn’t exactly sure of what had drawn him to her in the beginning or what it had been about her that had made him stick with her through her darkest days, but it probably had something to do with how similar they became and how easy it had been to relate to her. Britt had never judged him for anything he had done, and they were kindred spirits that hadn’t minded using each other when things got a little tough and they needed their distractions. Kaler had always told her everything upfront, but as he spoke about Adri now, he knew it wasn’t going to be just one of those things that she rolled her eyes at and then forgot about like many of his other exploits. The words felt like knives, and Kaler’s blue eyes watched as Britt’s whole demeanor changed. He caught the crack in her voice, and noticed how she couldn’t look at him now. He instantly regretted bring Adri up at all, but it wasn’t as though he could keep it from Britt either. “When she first showed up a couple weeks ago, I guess,” was the answer to her question about when it had happened. Only now instead of his tone being light and nonchalant, Kaler was quieter, looking back over his shoulder at the water that was still not boiling. What the hell was this? Then he almost rolled his eyes at himself, like he really didn’t know what this reaction was about. He knew, and he had known for a while now, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. Kaler’s eyes wondered back to her, and it was one moment when he wished that he couldn’t read her like a book so he didn’t have to see how much it bothered her. “You know she doesn’t mean anything to me. Adri’s just an old friend. She’s not like you.” Adri was far from being Britt, who was this woman that was rapidly filling a void in Kaler’s heart that he had thought would be empty and broken for the long haul.}

[brittany nicole hale]

I'LL SPEND FOREVER WONDERING IF YOU KNEW

Britt didn’t like this. She didn’t like that he had been fooling around with some other girl. It felt so much like a betrayal, even though she knew it shouldn’t be. They weren’t anything more than friends right now. She had asked about when it had happened, though she honestly didn’t want to know. It didn’t stop him from answering her, though. “When she first showed up a couple weeks ago, I guess.” She nodded, but she still didn’t look at him. She was still trying to keep herself under control, to not lose it right there in front of him. She was failing miserably. “You know she doesn’t mean anything to me. Adri’s just an old friend. She’s not like you.” That bothered her even more. Britt couldn’t say that she had ever really acknowledged her feelings for Kaler before, but she had always known they were there. She had always felt them inside her, especially when she was there with him. And now she could definitely feel it. Because this hurt, and it really sucked. He had been with someone else, but now he justified it by saying that she wasn’t like Adri. What was that even supposed to mean? Above the hurt, Britt could feel a spark of anger and she was finally able to look up at him. “Oh really? So you’re not just using me for sex, then?” Her works came out sharp and angry, this being a tone she hadn’t used with Kaler in a really, really long time. She had had nothing but gentle, loving tones when around him, but now she couldn’t stop it. Cause after everything she had been through, this was still how she responded to things. It was the only way she knew how.

tagged for: kaler ryan scott // word count: 295 // notes: finally got it up!!

[kaler ryan scott]

^{This was fucking ridiculous. Kaler hated the position that they had just landed themselves in, but only because of the tone it set in the room. Things between Britt and Kaler weren’t supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be easy, just like breathing, and simple because they were so close. Now it seemed that their newfound closeness was the source of their problem, and Kaler had just screwed up. If he wanted to try and be technical about it, he had done nothing wrong by sleeping with Adriana, but technicalities didn’t apply here. It was all too easy for him to see that this information hurt Britt, and he what he had said was only meant to try and make her realize that Adri didn’t hold a candle to her. However, Kaler’s words failed, as they often did in real situations like this when he needed to better communicate how he felt. He had made the same mistakes with Vidette all that time ago, and he still hadn’t learned to just say what he fucking meant the first time around. When Britt finally looked up at him, it was not only with hurt but with anger as well. That question was meant to sting, and it was a tone that Kaler had not heard from this gorgeous blonde in a long while. His eyes met hers, and there was a small pause before he answered. “That’s not how it is between us and you know it.” It’s how it had once been, and back then neither of them had been complaining. Friends with benefits had always worked, but now? It wasn’t that simple, but neither was admitting what he had just been hinting towards. “Don’t think that I don’t realize things are different now, because what I feel for you now is very different from how it used to be. Sleeping with Adri didn’t change that. It just…distracted me from it for a while.” God damn, Kaler hated being put on the spot like this, and he hated how nothing ever seemed to come out right. “You can understand that, can’t you? Needing to be distracted when you’re uncertain about something? And it’s not about how I feel because that I know with overwhelming certainty. It was what to do about it that I am uncertain of because you’re Britt and what you mean to me….I can’t mess that up.” Maybe he said enough this time, or maybe he had said too much. All Kaler knew was that he was being honest and it was scary as hell as that honesty led them into these new, uncharted waters.}

[brittany nicole hale]

I'LL SPEND FOREVER WONDERING IF YOU KNEW

Britt hadn’t been fully aware of the extent of her feelings for Kaler until that moment. Sure, she had known things were different, but she hadn’t known the full extent of it. Hearing he had been with Adri, it shouldn’t have bothered her like it did. It shouldn’t have bothered her at all. But it did. “That’s not how it is between us and you know it.” Maybe not, but Britt wasn’t convinced. She knew that it wasn’t like that for her, but actions spoke so much louder than words in this situation. “Don’t think that I don’t realize things are different now, because what I feel for you now is very different from how it used to be. Sleeping with Adri didn’t change that. It just…distracted me from it for a while.” His excuse for what he had done didn’t make Britt feel any better. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and the more he talked the worse it got. “You can understand that, can’t you? Needing to be distracted when you’re uncertain about something? And it’s not about how I feel because that I know with overwhelming certainty. It was what to do about it that I am uncertain of because you’re Britt and what you mean to me….I can’t mess that up.” Britt thought that she understood what he was trying to say but Kaler didn’t do too well being put on the spot. Britt sighed and slid off the counter, turning to face him, her hands on her hips. “What do you want from me, Kaler?” she asked. It was a simple question, one that only required a straight up answer. Simple as that. If he couldn’t answer it, then she didn’t know why she was here. “Because I know what I want. And you can talk in circles all you want but… What do you want? From this? From me?” She waited, not knowing what to expect, but knowing what she wanted him to say.

tagged for: kaler ryan scott // word count: 335 // notes: finally got it up!!

[kaler ryan scott]

^{Kaler would have never admitted it any sooner, but these feelings that they were now revealing had been developing for quite some time now. At first he hadn’t recognized them at all, still feeling so lost and broken after Vidette’s death. She had just been this amazing friend that was there for him during a time of need, but then when Kaler started to pick up his life and move on he could see how things were changing. At first he had hated it, and he had been terrified to admit to himself that he could love someone else like he had loved Vid. But, now as he stood there looking at Britt, there was no denying anything. He just wished that he were better at expressing himself, but being this heartbreakingly honest with someone about the way that he was feeling was still a brand new concept to him that he had only began working on with Vidette. He was so used to being guarded and keeping people at bay, and he had never really learned to be upfront about this. Maybe there was an older version of himself somewhere that could be sweet and sappy, wearing his heart on his sleeve and not terrified of the idea of loss or rejection, but that version of Kaler hadn’t been around for a long time. Maybe Britt could understand that, though her sigh didn’t seem promising. His blue eyes watched as she slid from her perch on the counter, her hands on her hips as she faced him. What did he want from her? Seemed like a simple enough question, didn’t it? There was a small sound from the stove, the water having started to boil by now but neither of them seemed to care. “I want you,” he said finally, feeling this huge weight lift off his chest. “I know that I’ve done some things that would have you think differently, but you know it’s true. I was just…afraid of moving on and what that meant, but I can’t be so stupid as to let someone like you slip through my fingers. And honestly, I never thought you’d want this with me.” Hell, why would she? Kaler was a grade A screw up. He did things even though he knew that they were wrong, and he was willing to overlook it all as long as it made him feel better no matter how it made others feel. That’s what it had been with Adri, and if Britt could look passed all of that and still want to be with him? Well, then she might just be a fucking saint.}

[brittany nicole hale]

I'LL SPEND FOREVER WONDERING IF YOU KNEW

Britt never would have thought she would fall for Kaler Scott. Her whole life everything had always been about Kade. He had been everything to her, all that she ever wanted. She had been her main focus for so long, and he had broken her heart into so many pieces she still didn’t know if she had found them all just yet. Kade had come back and she had forgiven him. They were slowly finding their way back to their friendship and what they had had before, and Britt couldn’t say that there wasn’t a part of her that still loved him. She would always love Kade Trent on some level. But that chapter of her life was over now, and she had moved on from it. And it was only because of Kaler that she really had. He had been there for it all, and when he had needed her, she had stepped in and taken over the role he had held in her life for over a year. But now she wanted so much more from him. The thought of him being with some other girl like he was with her killed her. She couldn’t bare it. But those three little words, they changed everything. “I want you.” She had never actually thought she would hear them come from his mouth. Not to her. Not after what had happened to Vidette. But there they were. “I know that I’ve done some things that would have you think differently, but you know it’s true. I was just…afraid of moving on and what that meant, but I can’t be so stupid as to let someone like you slip through my fingers. And honestly, I never thought you’d want this with me.” A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “Of course I do,” she said softly, thinking it was stupid to think otherwise, though not long ago she never would have thought of it either. Not really. Kaler had only just ever been a friend that took the pain away. But now, it was different. She took a small step forward, her arms falling to her sides. “I just don’t understand how you could be with her if you want me.” Because Britt knew that she hadn’t. She hadn’t been with anyone but Kaler for a really long time. And she couldn’t even think of being with anyone now.

tagged for: kaler ryan scott // word count: 401 // notes: finally got it up!!

[kaler ryan scott]

^{The idea of wanting someone the way that Kaler wanted Britt would have been enough to make the young man roll his icy blue eyes and probably even laugh when he first arrived in this town. Kaler Scott hadn’t thought that love was real, and even if it was it wasn’t enough and nothing like the books and movies portrayed it to be. But, then there had been a gorgeous brunette that had come into his life and showed him how wrong he had been and what really was out there for someone if they could only open their heart up to it. After losing her, Kaler hadn’t thought that it would happen for him again. After all, he had done some pretty fucked up things in his life and he had already found his angel. He didn’t feel like he deserved another one, or another shot at feeling that way about someone and having them feel the same in return, yet there Britt stood before him. Never had Kaler imagined that he would fall for her, but she was what he wanted and needed. She was a saint for tolerating like she did, and an angel for putting her faith in him when he didn’t know that he deserved it. What Britt saw in him, Kaler wouldn’t know, but she smiled at him and reassured him. Britt’s next comment stung a little, but only because he knew that it was hurting her and he hated the idea that he could ever do such a thing. Kaler’s eyes looked away from her and down to the floor for a moment, trying to think of how to best explain this to her. ”Because I can be a really stupid, horrible guy sometimes,” was his first response and the complete truth. Kaler didn’t think things all the way through, and he sure as hell didn’t think through the consequences of his actions. ”And I was afraid. The combination leads me to make bad decisions.” He looked back up at her, again hoping for her understanding. ”But I’m not afraid of what I feel for you anymore.” He reached out with his hand and took hers into it, giving a gentle tug and coaxing her closer as a small smile finally touched his lips. ”Alright, it’s still scary, but I’m pretty sure you’re worth it,” he teased, able to grin about it now as she drew nearer. Kaler had been clinging to that fear of moving on for so long, but now that he had allowed himself to say these things and recognize his feelings for Britt, the fear was gone and in its place was something that he would dare to call hope.}