Will It Be Forever

He had been amazing.

AJ watched Matt on stage and she was sure that she had never seen him smile like that. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She remembered what he told Brian earlier while she had been listening. She knew what she was feeling. She was falling for him too… And hard. She listened as they guys on stage finished up with Second Heartbeat.

The crowd still loved the boys even after their two year hiatus. She heard a whistle and AJ turned her head to see Leana waving towards her. She raised a small eyebrow and went to her. “What’s up?” She asked. The girl looked like she knew something that AJ didn’t. “What is it?” She asked again.

Leana grinned. “You’re going to want to sit down for this,” she told her as she made a motion back towards the stage.

“This song goes out to someone special to me,” she heard Matt’s voice vibrating from the speakers. The music started and she heard him sing, “Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost. It's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over. I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time. But I'm too young to worry. These streets we travel on will undergo our same lost past.” She turned just in time to see him looking at her.

She could feel other eyes on her. Oh good God she was blushing. She brought a hand a hand up to her face, feeling the heat rise from her cheeks. “I found you here, now please just stay for a while. I can move on with you around. I hand you my mortal life, but will it be forever? I'd do anything for a smile, holding you 'til our time is done. We both know the day will come, but I don't want to leave you.” She smiled a bit and she swore he winked at her.

They started in with the chorus and she felt her smile widen a bit as Matt continued to sing, “I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time but I'm too young to worry (a melody, a memory, or just one picture). Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost. It's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over. Newborn life replacing all of us, changing this fable we live in. No longer needed here so where do we go? Will you take a journey tonight, follow me past the walls of death? But girl, what if there is no eternal life?”

She felt someone by her side and she turned to see Michelle there. She thought Brian said that she wasn’t coming… “You know the song was written for my sister,” she told her bluntly. AJ looked down for a moment, not knowing what to say. She had the feeling that she was stepping into someone else’s territory and it wasn’t the first time she felt that way.

“Michelle,” she heard Leana say before the other girl moved somewhere else. The other woman smiled at her and all AJ could do was stare at her as she walked away. She could hear Brian playing a solo and she turned to watch them finish up the song, and later they finished up their set.

The night had gone by all right after that. Michelle had kept to herself and everyone was cleaning up after the bar cleared out. “Oh Matt,” Michelle started when it was just the guys and the girls left. She glanced at Brian and AJ realized that she knew. Brian’s big mouth had given him away. She sucked in a deep breath and frowned for a moment. “You don’t know the secret your girl has been keeping a secret from you.”

“Michelle,” Brian started.

“Did you know that Brian offered to pay her to date you when you first started dating?” AJ felt her world crash around her at that moment. She couldn’t believe that she said that. Her heart dropped into her stomach and she didn’t know if she could look at Matt. When she forced herself to do so, she saw his face blank. Void of any emotion. She had seen that face before… After he had first walked into her bar two years ago.

“Matt,” she started and lifted up her hand to touch his arm. He pulled back and she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She sniffed for a moment and shook her head. “Matt please… Let me explain.”

“No,” he started in a low voice. His eyebrows furrowed together and she saw his eyes glaze over in a red film. Oh no. She had hurt him… “I can’t believe you,” he told her, “I just…” He shook his head. “I don’t want to see you ever again.” He moved past her and AJ felt more tears starting to fall. She couldn’t look at anyone. She could just imagine how they were looking at her… What they thought of her. She turned around to look at him leaving and it hurt like hell. She watched him pause at the front door and turn around. “Did you guys know?” He asked.

“We knew,” Jimmy said.

“What the fuck…” Matt started and threw his hands up in defeat. He left and the guys went after him. Once they were gone the girls decided to speak.

“She didn’t take the money Michelle,” Gena started.

“And that makes it all better? She used him.”

“I did not!” AJ protested. Leana shook her head.

“She loves him Michelle and he loves her… Just look at how he looks at her!” She yelled.

“What’s your problem? Why did you do that?” Lacey asked.

“She’s not Val!” Michelle yelled.

---

“Dude! Come on! Wait!” Brian started as he went after Matt. When the singer paused, Brian thought that was a good sign. “You were in a slump. We were trying to get you out of it! We would’ve done anything man! Just look how you turned out now…” Then was then Matt turned around and he felt a force against his jaw. Ok so the pause wasn’t a good sign.

Brian let out a groan and rubbed his jaw. “Fuck you,” Matt started. “I can’t… I can’t handle this.” He shook his head and left in his SUV.

“I fucked things up,” Brian said watching Matt drive off.

“I’ll say…” Johnny said. He heard the bassist let out an ‘ow’ someone must’ve hit him. Brian looked back at his friends and shook his head.

“I’ve gotta fix this…”