Warmness on the Soul

I woke up at 10 a.m. the next morning. I looked around the room, noticing I was, in fact, in one of Danni and Zacky's guest rooms. I pulled the covers off of me, noticing I was still in the same clothes I was the previous day. I stretched and got out of bed slowly, making my way towards the door. I opened it and stepped out, hearing the sound of plates and utensils.

I made my way down the steps slowly, hearing two people talking together. I made a left turn and stepped into the kitchen, seeing Danni and Zacky settling the table.

"Hey hun! Did you sleep well?" she asked from her place in front of the stove.

"Yeah, I did," I replied smiling at her.

"Sit down, breakfast should be ready soon," Zacky said, pulling a chair out for me.

"No, thanks, it's fine. I'm gonna go over at Brian's and surprise him," I replied, taking my eyes off of him to look at Danni.

"Oh, uh... well maybe you should have breakfast with us first. I'm sure Brian's still sleeping," Zacky said. I saw him glance over at Danni before looking back at me.

"Yeah, at least have coffee with us before you go," Danni insisted.

I gazed at her for a while and shrugged. "Sure, why not!" I replied, walking towards the chair Zacky had pulled out for me a little while ago and sat down.

"So, how are you feeling this morning?" Danni asked, making her way to the table with two cups of coffee in hand. She put one down in front of me and the other one in front of Zacky before making her way back to the coffee machine.

"Alright... I have a bit of a headache though," I replied, rubbing my temples with both hands.

"Yeah, you were pretty pissed last night," she stated with a giggle.

"Pissed? Why? What happened?" I asked confused.

"It's one of Danni's many Aussie expressions," Zacky told me, laughing at my confused state.

"Yeah, it means you were pretty drunk," she explained.

"I was?" I replied, remembering parts of the previous night
.
"Uh-huh!" she nodded, walking to the table with her newly made cup of coffee. She pulled a chair out and sat down in front of me.

"Um... how did I get in bed?" I asked.

"Matt brought you to bed," she replied, taking a sip of her hot drink.

"Oh... was Brian here?" I asked.

"No," Zacky replied, glancing between me and Danni.

I couldn't help but notice he seemed nervous, like he was keeping something from me. I'm sure it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but I really felt like there was something he wasn't telling me.

"Okay..." I said, glancing down at my coffee.

"He was probably home, he said he had a few things he needed to take care of," Zacky assured me.

I looked up at him and stared for a while. I don't know why I kept my gaze on him as long as I did. Maybe I was waiting for a longer explanation or maybe I just thought there was more to it than what he said.

"I think he was sick. He didn't look well," he added.

"Really? Poor Brian! I'm gonna go and check on him," I replied, standing up.

"Now?" Zacky replied, "You should finish your coffee first. I'm sure Brian can wait a little longer, he's not gonna be going anywhere," he continued.

"I don't know, I really think I should go check out on Brian," I replied.

"Why don't I call him for you, see how he's doing?" Danni offered, standing up and making her way to one of her cordless phones.

"It's cool, I'll just go over there. I really want to see him," I replied.

"You want me to go with you?" she proposed.

"No, it's fine. Thanks," I told her, walking towards the front door.

I could hear the couple whispering in the kitchen. Zacky seemed like he was panicking and Danni was just trying to calm him down. I saw them appear down the hall and turned around, opening the door and leaving the house before they could say or do anything. Something was going on, I could tell. They were acting way too weird. They were definitely keeping something from me. Thoughts about what could possibly be going on raced through my head.

What if he's doing something for me? What if he has a surprise and asked the guys to keep an eye on me and keep me from going over there?

I couldn't help but smile at the thought. After all, he had given me the best day I had ever had in my entire life the previous day. The man was just full of surprises!

I finally reached his driveway and walked up the stairs to his house. The door flew open in front of me and this girl who looked oddly familiar appeared in front of me. She pursed her lips and looked me up and down. She raised an eyebrow and gave me a dirty look.

"You must be Haylee," she stated, pushing me out of the way. "Can't believe you're the bitch they're talking about in there," she added before walking away.

I stared at her for a while, watching her walk down the drive way, a little bit stunned. I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out where I had seen her before when it suddenly hit me. She was the girl from the bar... the girl Johnny and Jimmy were fighting about.

I was soon pulled out of my thoughts by two male voices arguing. I turned back towards the door and walked into the house slowly, trying to be as quiet as I could possibly be. I made my way up the stairs, hearing the voices becoming clearer and clearer with every step I took. I stopped next to Brian's bedroom entrance and stayed silent, listening to what was going on.

"Dude, what are you doing? Why did you bother with Haylee if you just wanted an easy fuck? Do you not remember how we fucking met her?" I heard Matt ask.

"I-" Brian replied, sighing, "I don't know, man."

"I thought you liked her," Matt said.

I peeked inside the room, trying not to make any noise. I saw Brian in bed, shirtless, the covers covering his bottom half. I could tell he was probably naked under there, I didn't need to go take a look, I was sure he was. I glanced away from him, my eyes landing on Matt whose back was facing the entrance of the room.

He was standing in front of Brian's bed with his arms crossed. At this point, I had an idea what had happened. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I was still hoping... hoping it was just all in my head. That my mind was making this up.

Brian stayed silent for a while and sighed again. He rubbed his face with both hands then looked up at Matt, "I like her... I do."

"Then you're gonna tell her what happened," Matt told him.

"What, why?" he asked shocked, "Why would I tell her? What she doesn't know, can't hurt her."

"Because, she has the right to know what happened, dude!" Matt replied, unfolding his arms, letting them hang loosely to his sides.

"We're not dating. We're not a couple. It doesn't matter if I slept with another girl or not. It's none of her business," he retorted, annoyed.

"I beg to differ man. It is her business. You gave her hope, you made her believed you liked her. That you fell for her. You brought her on a date, slept with her every night since you've met her. She deserves to know," Matt told him, "she deserves to know who you really are..."

"No she doesn't. She's not my girlfriend," Brian replied.

"Jesus, man! Do you even care about her? Coz it's doesn't seem like it or else you wouldn't have slept with some chick you met at the bar. You need to grow some balls and tell her," Matt stated, raising his voice, "stop playing her..." he added.

Well, all my questions had been answered in that small amount of time. I felt my knees weakening from everything I had heard. I could feel my heart pounding hard against my chest and breaking into millions of pieces. I felt unwanted, unimportant and very humiliated. I felt myself fall forward, landing on my knees, making a loud cracking sound, which resonated through the house. I turned my head towards the bedroom, my eyes locking with Brian's.

"Fuck..." Brian said, pulling the covers off of him, revealing his naked form to me.

I stood up and ran down the stairs as fast as my legs could go. I could hear someone running behind me, but had no idea who it could be nor did I want to know. I just wanted to get out of here and fast. I wanted to go home and be left alone. I wanted to cry and scream, let everything out of me. But most of all, I wanted to forget... forget everything I had just heard, forget that Brian never liked me the way I liked him. And forget that all he did for me meant nothing. Absolutely nothing to him.

I ran out the door and down his driveway. I could no longer hear the footsteps behind me, giving me an idea that it was probably Brian who had run after me, but couldn't get any further than his front door. He probably didn't want to run after me naked down the streets.

I continued running towards Danni and Zacky's house. I was so glad they lived only a couple of houses away from his. I ran up their driveway and opened the door. Danni appeared in the hallway and stared at me.

"Haylee? What's wrong?" Danni asked.

"I want to go home. Could you please take me home?" I asked, feeling tears prickling my eyes and blurring my vision. I couldn't cry, I wouldn't. Not here, not in front of anyone. I was going to wait. Wait until I was home and let it all out. But now, I needed to stay strong.

"What happened?" she asked, walking towards me, noticing I wasn't telling her something.

"Brian... he slept with... with some girl," I replied, feeling my throat contracting, making it hard for me to speak or swallow.

"I'm so sorry..." she said, pulling me into a hug. I felt like I was about to cry any second now, but held it in.

I heard footsteps coming closer and I knew who it was. I glanced up and saw Zacky, standing in front of me with his hands in his pockets and a sympathetic look on his face.

"You guys knew, didn't you?" I asked, my voice shaking.

Zacky nodded and looked away.

"And you... you tried to warn me," I said, looking at Danni.

She nodded and rubbed my arms up and down. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she gazed into mine.

"Take me home, please," I begged, knowing that any minute now, I would burst into tears. Something I didn't want happening just yet.

"Okay," Zacky replied, grabbing his car keys from one of the hooks next to the front door, "let's get you home."

We walked out of the house and to Zacky's car. He opened the back door for me and waited until Danni and I were seated to shut the door behind us. He got into the driver's seat and stared at me through the review mirror. He started the car and drove out of the driveway, heading over to my house.

The drive home was silent. Neither Danni nor Zacky said one word. They would steal a glance at me from time to time, checking if I was okay. Of course, they both knew I wasn't.

I felt the car come to a halt and stared out the window, my eyes landing on my house. I turned my head back towards the couple and gave them the best sad smile I could muster, mumbling a thank you as I unbuckled my belt and opened the car door. I felt someone grab my forearm and turned back around to see Danni staring at me.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"No, I need to be alone, thank you," I replied.

"Okay, if you need anything, just call," she told me, leaning towards me and wrapping me into a hug. I hugged her back and thanked them once again before getting out of the car. I shut the door behind me and walked towards my front door. I took my keys out of my purse and unlocked the door, stepping inside and shutting it behind me.

I was alone, finally. I felt my knees buckle and fell down on the floor. I put my hands up to my face and covered my eyes as I sobbed loudly. I felt so stupid for falling for him. For thinking he liked me the same way I did.

Flashes of our date passed through my head. The surprise, the kisses, the beautiful words, the romantic dinner. Everything... everything had been fake. He probably did all of this to get in my pants. What would be the other reason? He didn't care about me. If he did, he wouldn't have slept with some random girl. Matt said it. Besides, he kept saying we weren't dating, which made it pretty clear it wasn't gonna happen any time soon either.

I forced myself up on my shaky legs and made my way up the stairs as I continued sobbing. I took a right turn once I has reached the top and walked into my music room. The only place I knew that would make me feel better. I sat in front of my piano and stared at the keys for a few seconds. A pang of anger flashed through me and I put my hands into small fists, banging them on the piano.

I stopped after a few seconds and stared at the keys again. Tears ran down my face continuously and fell down on my hands that were resting on my lap. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself and stop myself from crying.

I opened them a few seconds later and ran my hands across the keys, starting to play a song. A song that reflected my mood perfectly. I closed my eyes again and started singing softly to myself.

Your fingertips across my skin,
the palm trees swaying in the wind.
Images
You sang me Spanish lullabies,
the sweetest sadness in your eyes...
clever trick.
Images

Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy,
I thought you'd want the same for me.

Goodbye my almost lover,
goodbye my hopeless dream.
I'm trying not to think about you,
can't you just let me be?
So long my luckless romance,
my back is turned on you.
Should have known you'd bring me heartache,
almost lovers always do...

We walked along a crowded street,
you took my hand and danced with me.
Images
And when you left you kissed my lips,
you said you'd never, never forget these images.

Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy,
I thought you'd want the same for me.

Goodbye my almost lover,
goodbye my hopeless dream.
I'm trying not to think about you,
can't you just let me be?
So long my luckless romance,
my back is turned on you.
Should have known you'd bring me heartache,
almost lovers always do.

I cannot go to the ocean,
cannot drive the streets at night.
Cannot wake up in the morning,
without you on my mind.
So you're gone and I'm haunted,
I'll bet you are just fine.
Did I make it that easy to walk
right in and out of my life?

Goodbye my almost lover,
goodbye my hopeless dream.
I'm trying not to think about you,
can't you just let me be?
So long my luckless romance,
my back is turned on you.
Should have known you'd bring me heartache,
almost lovers always do.

Matt's P.O.V

I walked down the street towards Brian's house, which was only a couple of blocks away from mine.

Last night at the bar, he had mysteriously disappeared, not telling any of us where he was going. We had looked for him and tried to call him on his cell phone, but never got in touch with him. So, when I woke up this morning, I thought I would pay him a little visit and ask him what happened.

I made my way up his driveway and up the stairs to his porch. I knocked on the door and waited for a while, not getting any answer. I tried knocking again, but still no answer.

I sighed and tried one last thing before leaving. I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and turned it, hearing a clicking sound signaling it wasn't locked. I pushed the door open, knowing that when Brian left his door unlocked, it meant we were welcomed to walk in.

"Brian?" I called from downstairs. I took the time to glance around the house, trying to see if I couldn't spot him in the kitchen or the living room.

"Brian, dude, where the fuck are you?" I asked again, making my way up the stairs. I could hear someone whispering and furrowed my eyebrows. I stopped in front of Brian's bedroom, staring at the closed door.

"Are you alright?" I asked through the door.

I heard a female voice whispering, sounding like she was panicking. I could also hear some shuffling and Brian's voice whispering back at her as if he was trying to calm her down.

"I knew it... I fucking knew it..." I whispered to myself, sighing.

I remembered Brian talking to the waitress, the same girl Jimmy and Johnny had been hitting on the week before. And then, he disappeared. Just like that. We were all talking around the table and he just got up and left without saying a word. We tried calling him, but his cell was shut off.

Tired of waiting for a goddamn reply, I opened the door, my eyes falling immediately on the naked chick in bed next to Brian. I glanced at him and back at her, then at the scattered clothes on the floor. I sighed again, shaking my head at what I was witnessing. I knew it... I had known since the minute he left and didn't come back. Brian was a ladies man. He always had been and always will be. This pretty much proved it.

"You-" I said, pointing at the girl, "get the fuck out of here."

She stared at me, shocked, not moving her ass out of the bed. She glanced at Brian, waiting for him to say something, but when nothing came out of his mouth, she glanced back at me. The bitch was testing my limits...

"I said, get out of the fucking bed, now," I repeated.

"Gee, okay!" she replied, pulling the covers off her, revealing her naked body. She got out of bed and grabbed her clothes off the floor, putting them on slowly.

"Lucky it's not Haylee who walked in on this," I told him.

"Haylee? Who the fuck is Haylee?" the girl asked, looking between me and Brian.

"None of your business, now scram," I replied.

She grabbed her purse that was next to the bed and stormed out of the bedroom, bumping her shoulder against my chest as she flew past me. Unfortunately for her, I didn't move one inch. I just raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her action.

I walked into the bedroom and stared at Brian. He glared up at me, shooting daggers with his eyes. I think that if looks could kill, I would be dead.

"What the fuck do you want?" he asked, obviously pissed at me.

"What the fuck are you doing, man?" I asked him, ignoring his questions.

"Building a forte in my bed. What the fuck does it look like I'm doing?" he spat back.

"Stop being an ass. I'm just trying to help you," I replied, feeling my anger rising inside of me. I was just trying to help him figure out what the fuck he was doing.

"Fuck dude! You just barged into my house and into my room! I think I have a reason to be an ass!" he retorted, "besides, I don't need help. I don't even know what the fuck you're talking about."

"I'm talking about-" I started and paused, leaving nothing but silence between us.

Brian was still staring at me with the same glare as earlier. I could tell he was waiting impatiently for me to say something, tell him why I had just walked into his bedroom and interrupted his little activity. I shook my head and sighed. I kept my eyes locked on his, trying to figure out the best way to ask him why he had done it.

I would have thought that after what Haylee had been through, he would try to be there for her as much as he could. That's what he made us think at first. We were actually quite surprised and even thought he really cared about her. Maybe even liked her, because usually with Brian, the girls would only go as far as one night stands. They would never last a week.

"Dude, what are you doing? Why did you bother with Haylee if you just wanted an easy fuck? Do you no remember how we fucking met her?" I asked.

"I-" Brian replied, sighing, "I don't know, man."

"I thought you liked her," I said.

He stayed silent for a few seconds and sighed. I watched as he raised both of his hands up to his face and rubbed it. "I like her... I do," he replied.

"Then you're gonna tell her what happened," I told him.

"What, why?" he asked shocked, "why would I tell her? What she doesn't know, can't hurt her."

"Because, she has the right to know what happened, dude!" I replied.

"We're not dating. We're not a couple. It doesn't matter if I slept with another girl or not. It's none of her business," he retorted, annoyed.

"I beg to differ man. It is of her business. You gave her hope, you made her believe you liked her. That you fell for her. You brought her on a date, slept with her every night since you've met her. She deserves to know," I told him, "she deserves to know who you really are."

"No she doesn't. She's not my girlfriend," he replied.

"Jesus, man! Do you even care about her? Coz it's doesn't seem like it or else you wouldn't have slept with some chick you met at the bar. You need to grow some balls and tell her," I stated, raising my voice, "stop playing her..."

Haylee was a nice girl, she didn't deserve this. What she deserved though, was knowing the truth. Sure she would be heart broken, but it was better to know it now before things got any further. I could tell she had fallen for him, everyone could. Danni had told me to keep an eye on Brian, to make sure he wouldn't hurt Haylee. I didn't just do it for Danni though, I did it for her too. I did it because I really cared about her and didn't want to see her hurt.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud cracking noise. I spun my head around and saw Haylee on her hands and knees. She looked stunned and... hurt.

"Fuck..." I heard Brian say.

As soon as those words escaped his mouth, Haylee got up and ran down the stairs. My first reaction was to run after her. I flew down the stairs, missing a couple of steps on my way down. I tried to reach for her arm, but tripped on my own damn foot and fell on my knees, missing my chance at catching her. I watched as she ran down the front porch and down the driveway, disappearing from my view once she had reached the street.

"Fuck!" I said, pushing myself up.

I heard the floor creaking and turned around, seeing Brian wrapped in his purple bed sheets. "Think she heard everything?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Uh, yeah. I think she did," I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"We? Well you need to figure your shit out. I'm gonna go check on her," I told him.

I turned back around and walked out of his house, shutting the door behind me. I walked down the street towards Danni and Zacky house. I thought about stopping at my house on the way since it was only two houses down from theirs. I was about to walk up my driveway when I saw them getting out of the house. They made their way to Zacky's car and got in, leaving a couple of seconds later.

I walked to my dodge challenger and started it up, getting out of my driveway and onto the street. I maintained a certain distance between Zacky and my car, not wanting them to see I was following them. I turned into Haylee's street and parked the car a couple of blocks down the road, watching as they stopped the car in front of her house.

A few minutes flew by before she finally stepped out of the car. She closed the door and walked towards her house, unlocking her front door. As soon as she had opened it and stepped inside, Zacky drove off.

I waited until he had turned the corner before putting my car back into gear. I parked my car in front of Haylee's house and got out. I went up to her front porch and knocked on the door, but couldn't hear anything. No footsteps, nothing. I grabbed the knob and turned it, doubting it would be unlocked, but was surprised to find it was. I stepped inside, the sound of piano hitting my ears instantly.

I followed the music and made my way up the stairs slowly. I could hear the music becoming louder and louder with every step that I took as I made my way towards the room. I stopped and glanced inside, seeing Haylee sitting in front of her black piano, playing and signing softly to herself. She was staring out the big window next to her as she ran her fingers across the keys swiftly. I leaned against the door frame and watched her. The song was beautiful and heartbreaking. I could tell it meant something to her, that she was relating to it.

Goodbye my almost lover,
goodbye my hopeless dream.
I'm trying not to think about you,
can't you just let me be?
So long my luckless romance,
my back is turned on you.
Should have known you'd bring me heartache,
almost lovers always do.

She finished it and choked back a sob instantly as she stared out the window. I watched her, hesitating on going over there and comforting her or leave her be. After all, she had no idea I was there and she probably came here to be left alone.

I kept my gaze on her, thinking about what would be best for me to do.

Normal POV

I stared out the window for a while, trying to calm myself down. Tears kept pouring out of my eyes and trailing down my cheeks intensely. I couldn't help it, I was heart broken. I couldn't believe that Brian, the man I thought was perfect, did this to me. I knew we weren't dating, but still, it hurt. I let another sob escape my lips as fresh tears replaced the old ones.

I heard a noise behind me and snapped my head back, looking towards the door where Matt stood, looking at me with a surprised expression. I stared back at him in shock and spun around on the small bench.

"Matt?" I asked, wiping my tears away with the back of my hands, "wh-what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you," he stated, making his way towards me.

"H-how did y-you get in?" I asked, soft sobs escaping my lips in between words.

"The door was unlocked and I... um... invited myself in," he paused. He stopped a few inches from me and got down on one knee in front of me, "then I heard the piano being played and followed the music, which led me here."

I looked down at my hands, a bit uncomfortable. The fact the Matt was seeing me cry made me feel very uneasy. I was not one to cry in front of people. I always hated that. I bit my bottom lip and sucked it in my mouth, trying to keep it from quivering. This was not the time to start crying hysterically again. Matt didn't need to see me like this.

"How long... have you b-been here?" I finally managed to choke out.

"A little while," he replied vaguely.

I glanced up at him, our eyes locking for a mili-second and looked back down at my hands that were still sitting on my lap.

"I pretty much heard the whole song," he added.

"Oh..." I replied, biting down on my bottom lip again.

Be strong Haylee... be strong... I reminded myself

"It was beautiful. Did you write it?" he asked, leaning close to me.

"No, it's from A Fine Frenzy," I replied.

"What's the name of he song?" he asked, making small talk.

"A-almost lov-ver," I replied, a little sob escaping my lips, yet again. I turned my head away from him and put a hand up to my mouth, trying to keep more sobs from escaping.

"Haylee," Matt said.

I just closed my eyes and ignore him.

"Haylee... Look at me," he tried again.

I bit my lip again and kept my hand up to my mouth, still hoping it would hold the sobs from escaping my mouth. I moved my eyes towards him, but kept my head towards the window.

"I know this must be hard for you. Especially hearing it this way," he started. He put a hand up on one of my knee and rubbed it with his thumb, "you're an amazing girl Haylee. Brian knows it, but he's just... well he's just a moron," he continued, "I know you don't want to hear this. I know all you want to do is close your eyes and forget everything, but I hope you know it's better to know it now than later."

I locked my gaze with his, something I tried to avoid since the dream I had of him. He smiled at me, but I could still see the sympathy he held in his eyes. I could tell he was sorry about everything.

"It hurts, you know?" I told him.

"I know," he replied soothingly.

He removed his hand from my knee and wrapped his arms around me, trying to comfort me as I started crying again. I laid my head on his shoulder and took hold of his shirt. We stayed like this for a couple of minutes, until I had no tears left to cry.

I was starting to get a major headache from all of the crying I had done and pulled away from Matt slowly. He removed his arms from around me and stared up at me.

"Feeling a little better?" he asked.

"Yes, I have a headache though," I replied, wiping the tears with the back of my hand.

Honestly, I wasn't feeling much better. I still felt heart broken and humiliated, but Matt was right, it would have been even worse if things had gotten a little more serious before I found out. I had to stop thinking about it, even if it was going very hard.

"You got any Tylenol or Aspirin?" he asked.

"Yeah, in the bathroom. I'll go get some," I replied.

"I'll go with you," he replied.

He was about to stand up, but lost his balance. His eyes were wide open and his arms flew around, trying to grab hold of something to keep him from falling backwards. I tried to grab his hand, but it was too late. He had already fallen on his ass and rolled onto his back, with a surprised expression on his face.

I bit my bottom lip, trying to keep myself from laughing, but failed as a giggle escaped my mouth. The giggle eventually grew into laughter and the next thing I knew, I was laughing so much, tears were streaming down my face again. Only this time, they meant something completely different.

Matt looked up at me, his eyes still as big as saucers. As soon as he heard me laughing, his features softened and he smiled up at me.

"You think it's funny?" he asked with a little grin.

"You should have seen your face," I told him, my laughter subsiding.

He chuckled and sat up, staring up at me with the same little grin that showed his dimples perfectly.

"You looked like a turtle that had fallen on its back, flailing your arms around and all," I added, giggling.

"Are you making fun of me?" he asked.

"Maybe," I replied as I stood up.

"Well as long as it makes you laugh like this, I'm okay with it," he stated, pushing himself up.

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his torso, hugging him. I felt him wrap his arms around me and chuckle, "thank you," I said, looking up into his eyes.

"Anytime," he replied, smiling down at me.

I pulled away from him and flashed him another smile. Even though I was sad, the fact that Matt came over and comforted me made me feel better.

I made my way out of the room, Matt following close behind me. I stopped in front of the bathroom door and turned around, facing him, "I think I'm going to take a shower," I told him.

"Sure, take your time," he replied, "I'll wait for you in the living room."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"No problem," he said, returning my smile.

I watched as he made his way down the stairs and disappeared into the living room. As soon as he was out of my sight, I walked to my bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes, bringing them back with me to the bathroom.

I stepped out of the shower a couple of minutes later and dressed myself up. I washed my face and applied some light make-up, keeping it natural. I pulled my hair into two little pigtails and glanced at myself one last time before heading out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

Matt was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV. He turned towards me, hearing me walk into the living room and scooted over, giving me some space to sit down.

"Your phone rang a couple of times," he stated, pointing to my purse that stood on the floor next to the couch.

"It was probably Danni," I replied, picking my purse up and sitting down next to him. I laid the purse on my lap and unzipped it, grabbing my cell phone and flipping it open. I stared at the screen in disbelief.

"So, was it Danni?" he asked, noticing my perplexed expression.

"It-uh... it was Brian," I replied, bewildered.

"He probably called to apologize." he stated.

"I... I'm not ready to talk to him yet," I said. I could feel a tightening sensation around my heart. The same sensation I had felt only a few hours ago.

"You'll have to talk to him sooner or later. I know what he did was stupid and it hurt you, but maybe if you listen to whatever he has to tell you, you'll feel better," he told me, putting his large hand on my thigh, giving it a light squeeze.

As if on cue, my cell phone rang again. I jumped in surprise and stared down at the screen. It was Brian... again. I gazed at it, unsure what to do.

"Are you gonna answer it?" he asked.

"I'm not ready Matt... I'm just not ready to talk to him or hear his excuses. Not today," I admitted, glancing up at him.

"Okay. I understand," he replied, giving my thigh another squeeze.

I leaned towards the coffee table in front of me and laid my phone on top of it. I sighed and closed my eyes as I sat back comfortably. I knew I'd have to face him soon, Matt was right. I couldn't ignore him forever. I'd have to talk to him at some point and hear him out. But, right now, I was too upset. I was too upset with him and I knew that if he tried to talk to me about it, it would just make matters worst for me.

The ringing of a phone pulled me out of my thoughts instantly. I opened my eyes and glanced at Matt who was digging in his back pocket to grab his cell. He looked at the caller ID and glanced up at me.

"It's Zacky," he stated as he pressed the talk button.

"Hey," he said as soon as he put the phone up to his ear.

"Oh, hey Danni," he said, glancing up at me. He kept his eyes on me as he listened to her talking, "she's fine. I'm with her right now." he told her, flashing me a little smile. "I uh... I went to check on her," he added, "sure, hold on."

He pulled the phone away from his ear and handed it to me, "she wants to talk to you."

I grabbed the phone from his hand and put it up to my ear, "hello," I said.

"Hey hun. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm... better," I replied, looking down at my hands.

"Do you want to come over and talk?" she asked with a hopeful glint in her voice.

"Yeah... but um... honestly, I'd rather not talk about it for the moment," I told her.

"It's fine. Just come over here, we'll do something fun," she said.

"Ok. We'll be there soon," I replied.

"Alright! Bye," she said, before hanging up.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and handed it back to Matt. He grabbed it from my hand and shut it off. He got up from the couch and put it back in his back pocket.

"So, we're going over there?" he asked, staring down at me.

"Yeah," I replied, standing up as well.

We stood in front of each other for a while without talking. The room was very silent and the only thing I could hear was our steady breathing. My thoughts drifted back to Brian, but I shook him out of my head quickly.

"Hey, are you okay?" Matt asked, wrapping his big hand around my small arm. He squeezed it lightly, making me look up at him.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry I just got lost in thoughts again," I admitted, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Alright," he chuckled, "are you ready to go?"

I nodded and grabbed my purse, following him out of the door, locking it behind me. We walked to his car and hopped in.

"Wow..." I said, once Matt started the car. I couldn't stop glancing around in awe.

"You like it?" he asked, smiling widely.

"Yeah, this is my dream car. Honestly," I admitted.

"Do you want to drive it?" he offered, his hand on the door handle.

"Me?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why not?" he chuckled.

"Um... I don't know..." I replied, hesitantly. I really wanted to drive it, but I wasn't really in the mood. Being sad and somewhat angry was probably not the best state to be driving a car that isn't yours. "I think... I think I'll pass for today."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I don't think that right now would be the best time," I told him honestly.

"Alright, well, if you ever want to try it out, just ask. It'll be my pleasure," he smiled, putting the car into gear and leaving my house.

I glanced at him and smiled back before turning my head towards the window. I gazed up at the sky noticing the sun had gone away and had been replaced by grey clouds, reflecting my mood perfectly.

I closed my eyes, trying to block any thoughts of Brian from resurfacing, but it was no use. As soon as my eyes were closed, the first picture that appeared in my head, was his face. I tried pushing it away and as far from my thoughts as I could, but it was useless.

"Haylee?" Matt said, pulling me out of daze instantly. I glanced at him and noticed the car had stopped moving, "we're here."

I nodded and grabbed the door handle about to get out, but felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned my gaze in his direction and stared at him, questioningly.

"I want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever want to talk again," he stated.

My hand slipped from the door handle as I turned my whole body towards him. I raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck, hugging him close to me. "Thank you," I paused, "thank you for being there for me every time I need you," I whispered into his ear.

It was true. He saved me from my attackers, came to my work and told my boss what happened to me, giving me a few days off. And finally, he came over to check on me after what had happened this morning. All of this, in the space of a week and 2 days.

I pulled myself off of him and gave him one final smile before getting out of the car. I watched him get out a few seconds later, following me towards the entrance of Danni and Zacky's house.

I was about to knock, but Matt turned the door knob and pushed it open. "After you," he said, motioning for me to get in first.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," I told him as I stepped inside.

"To what?" he asked, shutting the door behind us.

"Wal-" I was about to answer, but was cut off by the sound of someone falling.

I glanced towards the stairs just in time to see Danni falling down the set of stairs on her butt. My eyes grew wide and I ran to her. "Are you okay?!" I asked.

"Ow!" she whined as she looked up at me, a pained expression on her face.

I felt Matt standing beside me and saw him lean down, grabbing Danni under her arms and lifting her up to her feet.

"What were you doing?" Matt asked with concern.

She glanced up at him with the same pained expression as she rubbed her butt. "I heard the door opening and wanted to see who it was so I just leaned close to the staircase and lost my balance," she explained. She stared down at her feet and glared at her shoes, "stupid shoes!"

"Why are they stupid?" he asked confused.

"They're slippery!" she replied, "I'm never wearing them again."

"B-" I was about to say something, but again, was cut off by someone running up the stairs.

Zacky appeared from the basement and glanced around the room, confused, "what was that thumping noise?"

"Uh... Danni fell down the stairs," Matt answered.

"Oh no... how did that happen?" he asked, making his way towards her and putting a hand behind her back, rubbing it soothingly.

"I slipped because of my stupid shoes," she replied, glaring back down at her shoes.

"Aw, I see. Well maybe you should change them, just to make sure you won't fall down again," he told her, kissing her cheek softly.

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed.

I watched her as she moved away from him and made her way towards the front door, kicking her shoes off.

"You're late, dude," I heard Zacky say from behind me.

I turned back around and glanced at the two men.

"Late? For what?" Matt asked.

"For practice, man! I thought you remembered!" Zacky stated with an annoyed tone.

"Oh fuck! Right, I completely forgot!" Matt replied, slapping his forehead with the palm of his head.

"It's alright. I guess you had a good reason," Zacky said, eying me. I could see the same sympathetic glint in his eyes as he looked at me.

"Come on, let's go. The guys are waiting," he added, before walking off to the basement, disappearing out of my sight completely. Matt flashed me a small smile before following him down the stairs.

"Ow!" I heard Danni say from behind me.

I turned around and saw her sitting on the floor with a new pair of shoes on her feet. "Are you okay?" I asked, making my way towards her. She glanced up at me and pouted, making me chuckle lightly. "Do you need some help?"

"Yeah..." she replied, looking down at the floor with a defeated expression, "I just can't get back up. My butt and lower back hurts like hell."

"Ok, I'm gonna grab you under the arms and lift you up," I told her, before doing exactly what I said. She pushed herself up, wincing at the pain.

"I bet I have a huge bruise on my ass," she stated, dusting herself once she was standing on her two feet.

"Maybe you should put some tiger balm on it. I heard it's really good for bruises," I informed her.

"Oh! I have that. Do you think you could put some on my lower back?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll even give you a small back massage if you want," I offered. She smiled widely and clapped her hands together.

"Really?" she asked. "You don't mind?"

"It would be my pleasure," I smiled.

She led me up the stairs and towards her bedroom. "Wait here, I'll go get it," she told me, before disappearing into the joined bathroom. She came back with the tiger balm in hand, a few seconds later and handed it to me.

"Okay. Do you mind taking your shirt off?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound like a lesbian.
"Sure," she said, pulling her shirt up and off of her.

"Well that was fast," I joked. "Lie down on your stomach," I added, motioning for her to get on the bed.

She did as she was asked and moved to the bed, laying down on her stomach with her arms tucked under her head. I grabbed the balm and opened it, putting it next to her on the bed. I dug my fingers into the cream and rubbed my hands together once I had the amount I needed.

"This might be a little cold," I warned her before putting my hands on her back.

I moved my hands swiftly on her back, applying a little bit of pressure, but making sure it wasn't too much so I wouldn't make her bruise any worse than it already was.

"This feels so good. Thank you," she said, closing her eyes as I continued massaging her lower back. I smiled at her compliment and continued concentrating on my massage.

"I know you don't want to talk about this, but..." she started, opening her eyes to glance at me.

"It's ok," I replied. "Ask away."

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"A little better," I admitted, "not completely better, but I'm getting there. Thanks to Matt." I added.

I saw her smile and close her eyes. "When-" she started, but was cut off by the sound of Zacky calling for her.

"I'm up here!" she yelled.

We heard him walk up the stairs and make his way down the hall towards the bedroom, where he finally appeared a few seconds later.

"Well someone's getting pampered," he stated with a little smile. "When's my turn?" he asked, looking over at me.

"When you want?" I said, making it sound more like a question. He chuckled and walked over to us.

"Did you need something?" Danni asked, gazing up at him.

"Uh, well I got this new riff that I'd like you to hear," he answered.

"Okay, I'll be down in a few minutes. Alright?" she said.

"Sure, no problem. Take your time," he replied before leaning down and kissing her forehead. He stood back up and gave me a small smile before leaving the room. I could hear the sound of his footsteps down the hall and down the stairs.

I saw Danni watching me from the corner of her eyes and stopped what I was doing. "So what was it that you wanted to know?" I asked her, knowing she hadn't finished her question and she was probably looking at me like that because she had something on her mind.

"Matt was with you," she stated, "when, how-?"

I knew where she wanted to go with this so I cut her off, "he came over just after you guys left my house," I replied.

"Oh... okay," she replied.

I thought I had seen a little smile on her face, but shook it off, thinking it was probably my mind playing tricks on me. I finished my massage a few minutes later, helping her getting back on her feet.

Unfortunately, my fingers weren't magical and I couldn't just make her pain disappear with one of my massages, but I was hoping that soon enough, she would feel a difference and it would help her out.

"Thank you," she smiled at me, grabbing her shirt from the bed and putting it back on.

"My pleasure," I replied.

"So, are you ready to hear what Zacky came up with?" she asked happily. I could tell she was very proud of him.

"Sure, let's go," I replied, following her out of the room.

We made our way down the first flight of stairs and then continued to the second that led to the basement. We finally reached it a few seconds later, my eyes scanning the room slowly, until I locked my gaze with the last person I wanted to see and be near to. Brian. I looked away immediately, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden and wrapped my arms around myself as if I was trying to create a shield that would protect me from him.

Danni was still standing in front of me and turned around as soon as she saw Brian staring my way. She grabbed my arm and squeezed it reassuringly before dragging me across the room where a black leather couch was waiting for us. She sat down and pulled me down next to her.

"Just ignore him, alright?" she whispered in my ear, "I know it's gonna be hard, but just try to enjoy yourself."

I nodded my head and glanced around the room. The guys were all standing up with their instruments in hand with the exception of Jimmy who sat behind his drum set. I finally settled my gaze on Matt, who seemed to be in deep thoughts. He was staring into space, biting on his lip ring.

Not only was he sweet and caring, but he was hot. I guess he probably felt me staring at him, because he raised his gaze to me and locked eyes with mine. He flashed me his sexy dimpled smile, the one that made every girl weak at the knees, before turning his gaze away from me to look at one of the guys.

I saw Zacky making his way towards where Danni and I were sitting, stopping in front of us with his guitar in hand, "You girls ready to hear the best riff ever?" he asked with a cocky smirk.

I glanced at Danni who's eyes were sparkling with love, "yes!" she squealed.

He winked at her before starting to play his little solo, he so proudly came up with. He seemed very into it, sucking his snakebites into his mouth as he moved his fingers fluidly over the guitar strings.

I glanced at Danni who was smiling up at him, watching him play intensely. The same expression of love plastered on his face. I sighed softly and looked away. This is how I pictured myself if Brian had done the same thing, playing one of his guitar solo in front of me.

"Umm... Danni, is it okay if I go upstairs and grab myself a bottle of water?" I asked.

"Sure. Go ahead!" she replied, never taking her eyes off of her boyfriend.

I got up and made my way out of the basement. I walked up the stairs and made a right turn once I had reached the top, making my way towards the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator door and leaned inside, pulling a cold bottle of water. I straightened myself up and closed the door, jumping when I saw a shadow standing at the kitchen's entrance.

I put a hand up to my chest and sighed, thinking it was probably Danni who came up to check on me. "Dammit Danni, you scared me!" I said before turning around to see it wasn't who I thought it was.

"Haylee," he said, stepping a few inches closer to me.

"No. I don't need this," I muttered, taking a few steps back.

"Just hear me out," he told me, getting a little closer again.

"No Brian. I don't want to hear you out. I want you to leave me alone!" I stated before moving away from him.

"Haylee..." he tried again, taking a hold of my wrist. I glared at him and ripped it out of his hand before storming out of the kitchen and towards the basement.

I ran down the stairs and made my way towards the couch where Danni was still sitting on. I sat down next to her and sighed, catching her attention.

"What's wrong?" she asked as if she could read me.

"Nothing... I'm fine," I lied, turning my head in her direction and giving her the best fake reassuring smile I could muster.

I saw her glance in the direction of the stairs and followed her gaze to see she was looking at Brian. He was standing in front of the stairs, staring at me. I looked down at the floor and glanced away.

I knew that sooner or later I'd have to face him. I'd have to talk to him and tell him how much he hurt me. But right now, I needed time. That's all I needed. I didn't want to hear him, I didn't want to talk to him, I didn't want to be near him. I just wanted to be left alone. I wanted to forget. That's the thing I wanted to most. Forget.

I stared down at my hands, fidgeting with my fingers, something I would do often when I was nervous or uncomfortable. I could still feel someone gazing at me, but I didn't want to look up to see who it could be. The possibility of it being Brian was too high and I didn't need to know he was watching me. I was already feeling uneasy as it was, I didn't need to be reminded why.

"Haylee?" I heard Johnny's unmistakable voice say, making me glance up at him, "I'm gonna get a few beers for the guys, do you want one?" he asked.

"No, thanks," I declined.

"Alright," he said, before walking off in the direction of the stairs.

I averted my gaze away and saw the guys scattered around the room. Matt was standing in front of Jimmy's drum set, talking to him, while Zacky was standing next to the couch, talking to Danni.

I observed them for a while as they chatted amongst each other. They all seemed to be in deep conversations and happy and I suddenly felt very alone. I was surrounded by people and yet, I felt alone. How stupid was that?

The sound of a familiar song hit my ears and pulled me out of my daze. I turned my head towards the music and saw Brian, sitting on one of the amplifiers with his guitar in hand. He stared at me intensely as he moved his fingers on the strings.

As soon as he had hit the first few strings, I had known what the song was. I felt tears prickling my eyes and closed them, trying to hold them in as the lyrics flashed in my head.

Talk to me softly,
there's something in your eyes.
Don't hang your head in sorrow,
and please dont cry
I know how you feel inside,
I've been there before.
Somethin's changin' inside you,
and don't you know.

Don't you cry tonight,
I still love you baby.
Don't you cry tonight.
Don't you cry tonight.
There's a heaven above you baby,
and don't you cry tonight.

Give me a whisper
and give me a sigh.
Give me a kiss before you,
tell me goodbye.
Don't you take it so hard now
and please don't take it so bad.
I'll still be thinkin' of you,
and the times we had... baby.

And don't you cry tonight.
Don't you cry tonight.
Don't you cry tonight.
There's a heaven above you baby,
and don't you cry tonight.

And please remember that I never lied.
And please remember,
how I felt inside now honey.
You gotta make it your own way,
but you'll be alright now sugar.
You'll feel better tomorrow,
come the morning light, now baby.

And don't you cry tonight.
An don't you cry tonight.
An don't you cry tonight.
There's a heaven above you baby,
and don't you cry.
Don't you ever cry.
Don't you cry tonight.
Baby, maybe someday.
Don't you cry.
Don't you ever cry.
Don't you cry, tonight.

I opened my eyes as he hit the last cord. My eyes were stinging at the tears that threatened to fall anytime soon. The room had grown silent and everything seemed to go very slowly.

I glanced up at him, our eyes locking. I could feel my entire body starting to shake and felt something wet fall down my cheek. I raised my hand to wipe it off and it's only then that I realized I had started to cry. I flew off of the couch and ran out of the basement. I continued down the hall and stopped at the living room, sitting down on the floor, my back pressed up against the couch. I pulled my knees up and put my arms around them, burying my head in them.

I don't know how long I had been in this position, before I heard the sound of footsteps getting closer.

"Haylee?" Danni called.

I lifted my head in time to see her walk into the living room. She spotted me on the floor and made her way towards me. She sat next to me, putting her arms around me and hugging me close.

"Let it all out." She said as I sobbed into her shoulder.

We stayed like this for a while, until I had no more tears left to cry. I had promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of anyone, but once again, I failed. I pulled away from Danni slowly and looked at her. She raised her hands to my face and wiped the tears away from my cheeks softly.

"How about we get out of here? Go grab a coffee or something. Would you like that?" she proposed.

I nodded my head as I sniffled lightly.

"Okay. Come on, let's go." she said as she tried to push herself up, scrunching her face in pain.

I got up and leaned down, offering her my hand to take. She looked up at me and smiled. She grabbed my hand and pushed herself up as I pulled on her arm at the same time.

"Thanks." she said, rubbing the small of her back.

I followed her down the hallway, stopping in front of the stairs that lead down to the basement. "Stay here. I'll tell Zacky we're be leaving for a while." she told me, before making her way down the stairs.

Even though the wait hadn't been that long, I felt as if I had been standing there for an hour. Maybe it was because I couldn't wait to get out of there. Or because I knew that wherever I was going to go, Brian wouldn't be there.

It's funny how just a couple of hours ago, I couldn't wait to be with him, be in his arms and have his lips against mine. And now... now I wanted to be as far away from him as I could.

"Ready?" Danni asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I nodded and followed her out of the house.

The wind blew against my face, making my hair float around me. The sun had decided to show up again, its rays warming my skin instantly. I sighed and closed my eyes contently.

I was feeling better already.