Denial

I sighed. "For the love of Aunt Sally, Matt! I'm not gonna try and run the other way, now let go!" I said, pulling my arm from his grip.

"You sure about that? Cause I could have sworn I saw that look in your eye on the plane that said you were honestly contemplating jumping out the fire escape." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Whatever."

"Awe cheer up Lanes, they'll be here soon enough and you can jump on Zacky, alright?" I glared at him. He just laughed. We were currently in the Huntington Airport waiting for Brian and Zacky to show up from there plain...If and when it ever landed! Matt's cell phone started ringing. For the past thirty minutes, I'd been impatient and wanted them to get here, now that I knew that was probably Bri telling us that they were here, I wanted the plane to turn around and take them back.

"Hello? Hey babe what's up?" I gave him a funny look.

"Matt? You and Brian these days?" He glared at me and I couldn't help but start cracking up.

"Hang on a second Val, Helena! Knock it off."

"Oh wow, and, just, wow, that was great." I laughed. He glared again before putting the phone back to his mouth.

"Yeah, we're at the airport waiting for the guys. Alright, see ya then. Love you. Bye." I was still giving him an odd look when he closed his phone.

"You love him?"

"Shut up."

"I can't believe you love Brian." I muttered trying to hide a smirk.

"Helena-"

"Who loves me?" My eyes went wide and I spun around in an instant to see none other than Brian himself stand there. I suddenly had a look of confusion wash over my face.

"Bri?"

"Yeah?" He asked, leaning in to hug me.

"Where's Zacky?" I thought maybe he failed, didn't bring Zack home after all. Or that I'd been lied to. Tricked into coming back home. And suddenly it was all clear to me. That's what it was. They were just tricking me to get me back home. I stared up at Matt and Brian with big, lost eyes. How could they do this to me? Why?

"You-You guys.." I stammered over my words when my sentence was cut off by someone wrapping their arms around my waist from behind me and spinning me around. I shrieked then let out a sigh of relief as my feet touched the ground again. I turned around to come face to face with the one I was so terrified of seeing again, and threw my arms around his neck hugging him close to me.

"Hey, I missed you too." He said, hugging me close and smiling over my shoulder at the guys.

"So where's Gena?" I asked.

"In a cab on her way to my place." Zacky said. Brain and Matt rolled there eyes, I caught that out of the corner of my eye.

"So Zack, don't you have something to say to Helena?" Brian spoke up. I bit my lip a little and scrunched my eyebrows a tad. I wished he'd stay out of this.

Zacky's Point Of View...

"So Zack, don't you have something to say to Helena?" Brian asked me. I glanced nervously back and forth between there faces. Brian and Helena's, when I caught her eye. Something shined there. Worry. Confusion. Fear. I felt fear right now. I swallowed.

"Leny, I-I..." I stumbled for the words that I couldn't seem to find. they were clear in my head, I knew what I needed to say, it was now a matter of wanting to say it and actually forming the words.

"Helena I um...well..." And then it hit me. I couldn't do this. I couldn't. Shouldn't the confession of your love be easier? Shouldn't it just roll right off your tongue so you can be happy and just sweep her up into your arms? Well it's not happening, clearly, and at that fact, maybe it's not meant to be. I mean, after all, we have been friends since we were in preschool, and I mean, I just. What if something happened? I don't want to lose her for the rest of my life. She could end up hating e in the long run.

"Zack? Zack!" I shook my head snapping myself from my thoughts and looked over to meet Brian's eyes with my own.

"Hmm?" "Tell Leny the truth. Tell her you love her." He nodded his head towards Leny. I looked back at her and grabbed her hand, but shook my head.

"I can't. I'm sorry Leny." I saw her jaw drop and her face go to a look of complete shock.

"What do you mean you can't?" Brian spat. "You very well can! What do you think we brought you back here for?!"

"No I can't Brian! I've just realized something alright..." Leny was standing wrapped in Matt's arms protectively now. He wasn't protecting her, but more her heart I think. It's been broken a few times and it didn't need to happen by me.

I was told she loved me. But never that she'd actually said the words from her mouth. Brian just said it was written all over her face when she saw me, or when I called her eyes would light up, or just at the mention of my name. But so what? I've seen her do all that with Matt and even Val before! It didn't mean anything. So if she hasn't told them from her mouth that she actually loves me, chances are she doesn't, and it's just the shock of hearing I don't love her like that that's hurting her now.

"What? What did you realize?" Brian asked. Everyone stood looking at me expectantly.

"I don't love Leny like that anymore, I fell out of love while I was gone, I realized how foolish I was being, chasing after something I'd never catch. I'm in love with Gena. I'm sorry." I said before walking away. Okay so it wasn't all a complete lie. I was chasing after something that I'm never gonna catch because she doesn't want it. And I do love Gena. I do. I mean, if I didn't, I'd have never gotten with her. Right?

Helena's Point Of View...

I stood there in Matt's arms in complete and utter shock with a broken heart as I watched him walk away. I agreed to come back with Matt thinking things would be different, things would work out, that for once in my life, things would go my way. Was that selfish? I mean, after all, I grew up with these guys, I had them all to myself any time I needed them, they'd drop a five star top of the notch, big bad, bash of the year, most important gig of their lives just to come and bail me outta jail for $5,000 or more if needed. I had a great home, great friends, great family excuse me, so what is there to complain about?

Sometimes when you have it all, you have something missing. See I've got all I ever wanted material wise, and sure, even friend and family wise, but I wanna be loved. Actually loved. Like I've never been loved before. I walk through the malls and see couples holding hands and I want that so badly. I thought maybe Zacky of all people would grant that to me, not be like all the other guys. But Zacky has a tendency to prove me wrong. Looks like he did it again.

I started to do the first automatic action that came to mind.

Run.

But no sooner than I tried, Matt's arms around me, stopped me. He turned me around to face him.

"Helena no. You're not gonna run away. I don't know what got into Zack, I really don't. He admitted he loved you, he did. That's why he left." I just buried my face in his chest and cried. I couldn't hold it in any more. I felt Matt rubbing my back soothingly as I did so and telling me it was gonna be alright.

"I can't believe he pulled this." I heard Brian. I could just imagine the angered look on his face. Brian wasn't the best person to handle when you made him mad, Especially when it came to something like this. He'd gone all the way out to Florida, convinced Zacky into coming here and confessing, gets him here, and he confesses his love for Gena.

After a while I felt my feet being lifted off the ground and I knew I was being lifted into Matt's arms. I snuggled into his chest and closed my eyes as he walked through the airport. Soon enough, I heard the opening of a car door and Matt's leaned over and sat me down in the back seat of cab, climbing in next to me, and pulling me over to rest in his arms.

"I don't understand Matt." I sniffled.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay. Just rest." He said, rubbing my arm gently. I sighed and closed my eyes.

Apparently I'd drifted off because when I woke up, it was because Matt was telling me I was home. And sure enough, I saw the big gorgeous house that I'd lived in for so long and suddenly couldn't believe I'd ever left it for London. I stretched and a small smiled came to my face seeing my house again.

"Go get 'er Tiger." Matt laughed giving me a little push. I gave a half hearted laugh and started to jog up to my front door when suddenly I realized something and turned on my heel to face Matt.

"Matt?"

"Yeah?" He was still standing in the same spot. Just watching I guess?

"Where's Fats? We got her right?" He laughed.

"She's inside."

"How did you"

"Don't ask." I nearly squeaked and ran inside. I missed my kitty on the long plane ride.

"Ya think she'll be okay?" Matt asked Brian.

"I think I'm gonna go punch Zacky in the face for doing what he did to her." He glared in the direction of Zacky's house.

"Hey Fatty Watty did you miss mommy?" I picked up my cat giving it nosies and all that good stuff. I sighed sitting down and placing the cat in my lap.

"Mommy's not doing too good." I thought back to the airport and everything Zacky said, about how he was in love with Gena. It started making me think about how he probably holds her every night, kisses her, tell her he loves her and not me. I couldn't help the tears that were forming in my eyes as I thought of these things. It was just involuntary at moments like this.

"Hey Lane, ya'ok?" I heard Matt's smooth voice as he walked through the room. I quickly started wiping at the tears with my sleeve.

"Helena." He said sternly standing right in front of me now. I kept my head down and Fats took off. He knelt down in front of me and leaned in a little lifting my chin up with two of his fingers.

"For one, you don't ever, ever feel the need to wipe your tears away in a rush just because I've walked in the room. Or anyone else for that matter. It's okay to cry. And for two, if Zacky wants to lie to himself and pretend he loves Gena then that's fine, let him do so, but he doesn't know what he's missing out on. But you've got to face him. You've got to be strong and you've got face him and you've gotta show him that he's not getting to you."

"But he is getting to me Matt!" I shrieked.

"But you can't let him know that." Matt said calmly, still holding my chin, and looking straight into my eyes. I sniffled.

"When have you ever let any of these heart breakers know they broke you?" I sighed.

"Never right?" I nodded.

"Then why now? You shouldn't, and you won't. You'll be strong. When Gena's there, when she's not, you'll be strong no matter what." I looked up at Matt.

"I was trying to get rid of somebody he really loves." He looked at me confused for a second then his eyes widened.

"No. No Leny. You weren't. He doesn't love her. Okay. If he doesn't love you, fine. But he doesn't love her either no matter how hard he tries to fool himself." I sniffled and shook her head.

"I'm just gonna back off."

"Leny, even though plans have changed between you and Zacky, everybody still hates Gena-"

"Matt no! If Zacky loves her like he says he does, I'm gonna stay out of it. Because I love him, and I only want him to be happy." He sighed looking straight at me and nodded.

"I'm gonna miss the old Helena." I leaned forward burying my face in his neck and sniffed a little trying to fight off more tears before whispering...

"I'm gonna miss her too."