Like a Fool

*Matt's POV
I paced the length of my living room, running a hand through my hair and chewing nervously on my lip ring. We had just finished the dinner Cain had made and she was now up stairs getting ready for bed, under normal circumstances this would hardly be bothering me. But things have been changing, she's been changing.

My thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing through the house.

"I'll get it!" I yelled upstairs. My parents were finally home and were quite pleased to see Cain around again, especially my mother, and were also getting ready for bed.

I opened the door and ushered the guys inside. I asked them to come over and help me sort out what the hell's been going through my mind. "Let's go into the garage." I said glancing up the stairs to make sure no one had come down to see who was at the door.

"So what's up Matt?" Zacky was looking at me questioningly. I resumed my pacing and nervous habits.

"Are you alright?" Johnny looked as though he thought I would pass out at any minute.

"It's Cain." I said pausing my movement.

"What happened?! Is something wrong? Is she okay" Brian spouted, his eyes wide.

"No, no she's fine. She's more than fine. She got the apartment." I tried to sound as happy as possible. I should be happy for her, but it just didn't sound right.

"Then why are you so upset?" Jimmy saw right through my fake joy.

"I'm not upset, per-say." I flopped onto one of the workout benches while the guys followed my lead and scattered themselves on the two aging couches next to the garage door.

"'Per-say'? Since when do you use that kind of vocabulary?" Johnny raised his eyebrows.

"Shut it short-shit." I groaned "I'm really fucking confused." I said answering Jimmy.

"Matt you're not making any sense." Brian said.

"Exactly! I'm not making sense! Even to myself."

"Matt?" Zacky asked hesitantly "Do we need to get the men in the white coats?" He was treating me gently, just like you would a mentally unstable person.

"No, smart ass. It's just, I've been feeling differently towards Cain lately."

"Different how? Like you hate her now, or what?"

I gaped at Zacky "How could I hate her?!"

"Hey, it was just a question. You guys love each other, so the only different thing would be hate." He reasoned.

"Actually, she's starting to seem like a... girl to me." I was at a loss for words. How else do you say something like this?

"Well, she's always been a girl. So this is only a news flash for you..." Jimmy said staring at me strangely.

"No, like I've been noticing how... pretty she is... and stuff."

Understanding dawned on their faces "Ohhh, you like her." Johnny said with a shit-eating grin on his face.

I simply glared at him "Since she started dating Adam, I've been seeing her more as an actual girl my age instead of sister. Ya know?"

"Well yeah, I mean you're kind of the only guy at our school to not notice her. More guys than Adam have wanted to date her but they were to afraid of you to ask." Brian pointed out.

"Good, they should be scared of me." That little piece of news gave me mixed emotions. I was happy that they were afraid of me but at the same time I didn't want anyone to think of Cain in the way I see girls like Lexi. "But it's more than seeing that she's a girl. I've been getting jealous of Adam. Like that one day when he took her home from the Fair and he carried her up the steps."

"Mattie are you saying what I think you're saying." Jimmy was grinning like a madman "Do you like our little Candy Cain?"

I nodded my head meekly.

"Called it!" Johnny said jumping up. I glared at him once again but it didn't shake his grin.

"Guys what the fuck am I supposed to do? Remember the day we got in that big fight?" They all nodded, I don't think any of us could forget "I couldn't stop staring at her legs. For a short girl, she has some seriously long legs on her. And they're perfect!" I threw up my hands and resumed my pacing. Why did girls parade around with out pants? In front of guys no less? It's just not fair.

"And now she's upstairs getting ready to sleep in my room!"

"She always sleeps in your room, it can't be much different from all those other times." Zacky knew damn well how different it was going to be, and he was loving it.

"Do you know what she wears to bed?" I asked rhetorically "A tank top and short shorts! How am I supposed to deal with that?" The world was conspiring against me.

"Dude, Matt. You've got it bad." Jimmy laughed.

"Not to be insensitive or anything, but what's the big deal?" Brian asked looking at me skepticism.

"Cain's not like other girls. I can't just fuck her and leave. We've been friends since pre-K, I don't want to fuck that up! And I'm almost positive she doesn't feel that way towards me. How do I approach that? And how can I have a serious relationship, when I've never had one?"

"You have to start somewhere. Look at me, I've never been in a serious relationship but here I am dating Carleigh!" He pointed out "You just have to go for it. Do all the corny stuff like actually plan the date, take her somewhere special and try and woo the pants off her."

"But don't get her pants off on the first date, that would really kill a 'serious' relationship." Jimmy said wisely.

"That's all assuming we actually get to the dating point. And right now I'm more concerned on how I'm going to go up there and sleep in the same bed as her."

"You just have to grow a pair and do it." Zacky said with a matter-of-fact tone.

"It's the fact that I do have a pair that's making this hard!" I threw my hands up.

"Let's just straighten one thing out." Brian began "Is your only attraction to Cain physical? Because I've really only heard stuff about her looks. And sorry man but if you hurt her we're going to have to kill you." He shrugged.

I paused for a moment "Of course it's more than physical! But if I started talking to you guys about how even thinking about her weird little habits and noises she makes, makes me smile. You'd just call me a woman." I grumbled the last part.

"Well you got that right ya woman!" Jimmy said clapping me on the back. I flipped him off "You know what you have to do right?" He asked, I shook my head. I was absolutely fucking clueless "You have to go up there and profess your feelings then make sweet sweet love to her!"

I put my head in my hands "You sir, are ridiculous. For the first time, I'm actually thinking about a relationship. Not having sex."

"Holy shit! Alert the media! Sanders wants a serious girlfriend!" Johnny jumped up.

"See this is why I debated on whether or not to call all of you."

"Well you did, so this is what you get." He shot back.

I groaned "Why can't this be easy? I mean we've know each other for eleven years, how can going to the next step be so difficult? People who have known each other for two years get married!" By that logic this jump shouldn't even be a jump, it should be a skip.

"This stuff is never easy, and so much history makes it hard to move past the 'friend zone'. Just start dropping hints and what-not. Make sure to be extra nice after all that possessive crap you pulled though. And stop questioning her judgment on the apartment. You may not see it but it really gets to Cain when you say that her idea is a bad one." Zacky was finally not being a smart ass about all this!

"What do you mean it gets to her?" That girl is more stubborn than most oxen. How could she doubt her self when it came to something she was determined to do?

"She trusts you and respects your judgment. When you tell her it's a bad idea she feels stupid and starts second-guessing herself. And that never turns out well." Zacky was on a roll.

I slumped against the weights, I never wanted her to feel like that. It's horrible to second-guess yourself. And I never wanted to be the reason that she did. "I think I should go up there now." I sighed, I felt the need to apologize yet again. Needless to say, I never apologized this much in my life.

"Go get 'em tiger!" Jimmy bounded up and pranced out of the house as quietly as possible. I rolled my eyes and showed them out the door and slowly made my way up stairs.