Will It Be Forever
Part Four- Yeah, Some Pep Talk.
AJ noticed that the crowd in the bar was starting to dissipate. She checked the time, and closing was not too far away. He was by himself and she knew that she had to go talk to him. It wasn’t like she promised to be nice to him but Brian’s voice kept ringing in her head. She couldn’t imagine how lonely Matt must be. She bit her lower lip for a moment and headed over to the table as she put on a smile. “Hey,” she started and Matt looked up. His hazel eyes glanced up at her and a thin line of a returned smile went across his face. In her opinion, it seemed a bit forced but she wasn’t going to say anything. “Can I get you anything?”
He shook his head ‘no’. “Thanks though,” he said before his hands started to cradle the glass still in front of him. Addeline lingered there for a moment. What was she supposed to do? Just walk away? Part of her was screaming at her just to do so but instead she took a seat. Who was going to say anything? It was her damn bar. “So he really did talk to you,” Matt said.
AJ let out a small laugh and nodded. “Some friends, huh?” She asked with a small smile. Matt nodded for a moment and then he looked back at her, away from the drink in front of him.
“What’d he say to you?” Oh God, even his voice sounded so…haunting. While he sang before, you couldn’t help but get drawn in and now just having a conversation with him, AJ felt like he was sort of demanding her attention. Even if it was unintentionally… She shook her head and let out a small sigh as she met his gaze.
“It seems like he just wants to help,” she offered, diverting away from the true answer. She didn’t want to make him feel even worse about it all. She licked her lips for a moment before biting down on her lower lip and letting it roll back to normal.
“I don’t need anyone’s help.” Boy was he wrong about that. He obviously hadn’t looked in the mirror lately, she thought to herself. AJ wrinkled her nose slightly and then put her hand on his arm. It was a friendly gesture but the moment her fingers touched his skin, it felt like a jolt of electricity surged through her skin, dazzling her senses. Her own light colored eyes went to him for a moment, watching his reaction to see if he had felt that as well. Maybe she had just shocked him but it didn’t feel like that…
Goose bumps had erupted on his skin and AJ pulled her hand back. “How about this,” she started. Maybe with her solution, they could make things better. “How about we do something just to get your friends off your back and if you don’t like me enough to see me again then you can tell them they can’t say you didn’t try.”
Matt seemed to think about it for a moment and AJ wondered if it would work. He brought up the glass he was holding to his lips and he took a large gulp, wincing slightly from the probable burn feeling the booze gave when it went down your throat. He looked back at her and nodded. “You only just met them tonight and you know how’ll they’ll be,” he said and then went for his wallet. “They’ll leave me alone after finding out we went somewhere.” He gave AJ a small smile. “I’ll try not to be a downer.” He pulled out two twenties. “For my drinks and the guy’s too,” he said offering her the money. AJ looked at it for a moment and remembered how she said that his drinks were on the house.
She shook her head and pushed his hand back towards him. “It’s on the house,” she told him, “So meet me here tomorrow at seven?”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“I own the place,” she told him, “I can get someone to cover.” She let out a laugh and scratched her temple for a moment. “It’s not a problem really.” She moved some stray black hairs out of her eyes. “Do you want to do this or not?”
Matt didn’t look like he really wanted to answer. In that case, AJ was sure that she didn’t want to know. Matt sighed for a moment and nodded. “Alright,” he said as he got up from the table. “See you then.” He gave her a small wave and headed for the door.
“See you…”
---
Matt headed to his car and thought about AJ. It felt like he was betraying Val’s memory. His eyebrows furrowed together as he grabbed his keys out of his pocket. He hadn’t had too many drinks so he was sure that he was fine. He opened the driver’s door and got inside his SUV. When she had asked him whether or not he had wanted to go out with her… It had been a difficult thing to keep in his feelings about the whole Val situation.
He turned on the car and shifted into drive. His eyebrows furrowed together. “She seems like a nice girl…” Here it came again. Was he seriously getting approval from a damn ghost?
“Yeah,” he said, not really agree but not really agreeing either. He shook his head and turned up the radio to listen to Pantera’s ‘Cemetery Gates.’ He didn’t sing a long with it. Hell, he didn’t sing anymore anyways.
“I miss hearing you sing.”
Matt felt his eyes water for a moment. He sniffed and brought up a hand to rub his eyes. Ok, he needed to get a grip about himself. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to focus on the road rather than thinking about her. It seemed that every time he thought about Val, he would hear her voice.
She was an angel of beautiful distress, forever haunting him. He rubbed his forehead for a moment and she was gone. He didn’t hear her voice ringing in his head…He didn’t…feel her there either. He was so use to being able to feel her presence. It was like a warm feeling and when it was gone, he was back to feeling cold and numb, like he should be dead, unable to breath, eat, sleep or function as a normal human being.
Ugh, what was he getting himself into?
-Time relapse-
His stomach twisted in a sort of nervousness and he could feel his heart start to race. Over what? Some girl he was just going to hang out with? Nothing was going to happen, he was sure of that much but he had remembered the electrical feeling that she had given him when she touched him. It was nothing though. It was nothing how Val use to make him feel…
It was different.
“You look good man.” Matt turned around to look to see Zacky standing there. He gave him a small smile and shrugged for a moment. All he did was shave. That wasn’t much of a change. He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get it cut but he was sure that AJ wouldn’t mind. After all, why would she? “Nervous?”
Hell yes he was. He hadn’t even really hung out with another woman, besides the other girls, after Val died. It was…different and he wasn’t sure how much he liked different anymore. “A little,” he replied, only telling the half-truth. He wasn’t going to let his friend know that he was a fucking nervous wreck.
“Are you going to try to have a good time?” Matt’s eyes narrowed at his friend. What kind of question was that? He realized how much of a depressed guy he had been but didn’t they understand? He frowned for a moment and Zacky chuckled a bit.
“Yes daddy,” he replied back.
“Now I want you back at a decent hour. Remember it’s the first date so don’t feel her up.”
“Zacky, shut up.”
“I’m just trying to give you a pep talk,” Zacky said, pumping a fist in the air in a short moment. “Get you ready to go out.”
“Yeah, some pep talk.”
Zacky grinned a bit and nudged Matt out of the door. “Now go before you’re late and she leaves your ass.”
He shook his head ‘no’. “Thanks though,” he said before his hands started to cradle the glass still in front of him. Addeline lingered there for a moment. What was she supposed to do? Just walk away? Part of her was screaming at her just to do so but instead she took a seat. Who was going to say anything? It was her damn bar. “So he really did talk to you,” Matt said.
AJ let out a small laugh and nodded. “Some friends, huh?” She asked with a small smile. Matt nodded for a moment and then he looked back at her, away from the drink in front of him.
“What’d he say to you?” Oh God, even his voice sounded so…haunting. While he sang before, you couldn’t help but get drawn in and now just having a conversation with him, AJ felt like he was sort of demanding her attention. Even if it was unintentionally… She shook her head and let out a small sigh as she met his gaze.
“It seems like he just wants to help,” she offered, diverting away from the true answer. She didn’t want to make him feel even worse about it all. She licked her lips for a moment before biting down on her lower lip and letting it roll back to normal.
“I don’t need anyone’s help.” Boy was he wrong about that. He obviously hadn’t looked in the mirror lately, she thought to herself. AJ wrinkled her nose slightly and then put her hand on his arm. It was a friendly gesture but the moment her fingers touched his skin, it felt like a jolt of electricity surged through her skin, dazzling her senses. Her own light colored eyes went to him for a moment, watching his reaction to see if he had felt that as well. Maybe she had just shocked him but it didn’t feel like that…
Goose bumps had erupted on his skin and AJ pulled her hand back. “How about this,” she started. Maybe with her solution, they could make things better. “How about we do something just to get your friends off your back and if you don’t like me enough to see me again then you can tell them they can’t say you didn’t try.”
Matt seemed to think about it for a moment and AJ wondered if it would work. He brought up the glass he was holding to his lips and he took a large gulp, wincing slightly from the probable burn feeling the booze gave when it went down your throat. He looked back at her and nodded. “You only just met them tonight and you know how’ll they’ll be,” he said and then went for his wallet. “They’ll leave me alone after finding out we went somewhere.” He gave AJ a small smile. “I’ll try not to be a downer.” He pulled out two twenties. “For my drinks and the guy’s too,” he said offering her the money. AJ looked at it for a moment and remembered how she said that his drinks were on the house.
She shook her head and pushed his hand back towards him. “It’s on the house,” she told him, “So meet me here tomorrow at seven?”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“I own the place,” she told him, “I can get someone to cover.” She let out a laugh and scratched her temple for a moment. “It’s not a problem really.” She moved some stray black hairs out of her eyes. “Do you want to do this or not?”
Matt didn’t look like he really wanted to answer. In that case, AJ was sure that she didn’t want to know. Matt sighed for a moment and nodded. “Alright,” he said as he got up from the table. “See you then.” He gave her a small wave and headed for the door.
“See you…”
---
Matt headed to his car and thought about AJ. It felt like he was betraying Val’s memory. His eyebrows furrowed together as he grabbed his keys out of his pocket. He hadn’t had too many drinks so he was sure that he was fine. He opened the driver’s door and got inside his SUV. When she had asked him whether or not he had wanted to go out with her… It had been a difficult thing to keep in his feelings about the whole Val situation.
He turned on the car and shifted into drive. His eyebrows furrowed together. “She seems like a nice girl…” Here it came again. Was he seriously getting approval from a damn ghost?
“Yeah,” he said, not really agree but not really agreeing either. He shook his head and turned up the radio to listen to Pantera’s ‘Cemetery Gates.’ He didn’t sing a long with it. Hell, he didn’t sing anymore anyways.
“I miss hearing you sing.”
Matt felt his eyes water for a moment. He sniffed and brought up a hand to rub his eyes. Ok, he needed to get a grip about himself. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to focus on the road rather than thinking about her. It seemed that every time he thought about Val, he would hear her voice.
She was an angel of beautiful distress, forever haunting him. He rubbed his forehead for a moment and she was gone. He didn’t hear her voice ringing in his head…He didn’t…feel her there either. He was so use to being able to feel her presence. It was like a warm feeling and when it was gone, he was back to feeling cold and numb, like he should be dead, unable to breath, eat, sleep or function as a normal human being.
Ugh, what was he getting himself into?
-Time relapse-
His stomach twisted in a sort of nervousness and he could feel his heart start to race. Over what? Some girl he was just going to hang out with? Nothing was going to happen, he was sure of that much but he had remembered the electrical feeling that she had given him when she touched him. It was nothing though. It was nothing how Val use to make him feel…
It was different.
“You look good man.” Matt turned around to look to see Zacky standing there. He gave him a small smile and shrugged for a moment. All he did was shave. That wasn’t much of a change. He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get it cut but he was sure that AJ wouldn’t mind. After all, why would she? “Nervous?”
Hell yes he was. He hadn’t even really hung out with another woman, besides the other girls, after Val died. It was…different and he wasn’t sure how much he liked different anymore. “A little,” he replied, only telling the half-truth. He wasn’t going to let his friend know that he was a fucking nervous wreck.
“Are you going to try to have a good time?” Matt’s eyes narrowed at his friend. What kind of question was that? He realized how much of a depressed guy he had been but didn’t they understand? He frowned for a moment and Zacky chuckled a bit.
“Yes daddy,” he replied back.
“Now I want you back at a decent hour. Remember it’s the first date so don’t feel her up.”
“Zacky, shut up.”
“I’m just trying to give you a pep talk,” Zacky said, pumping a fist in the air in a short moment. “Get you ready to go out.”
“Yeah, some pep talk.”
Zacky grinned a bit and nudged Matt out of the door. “Now go before you’re late and she leaves your ass.”