Feel That Fire

“Sadie! Where are you?” Emmalyn sang as she searched Brian’s house for her new puppy. After a trip to the vet for shots and a check-up, Sadie had been living at Brian’s house for the past three weeks. Matt said he wouldn’t mind having the puppy live there, but since Emmalyn had been spending more of her time at Brian’s, she decided Sadie would be better there. Besides, Brian had become very attached to the pup.

A soft, muffled bark came from the behind the door of Brian’s closet. Emmalyn made her way to the door and cracked it open. Sure enough, a ball of blonde fur came flying out of the closet.

“Silly girl, how many times do we have to tell you to stop hiding in Daddy’s closet? You know he locks you in there every time,” Emmalyn scolded as she picked up Sadie. “Let’s go, girl. Time for you to visit Bella and Uncle Matt.”

Ten minutes later, Emmalyn pulled into Matt’s driveway. She parked her car beside Brian’s Escalade. He had come over earlier to meet with the guys about their next video.

“Em!” Jasmine called as soon as she walked into the kitchen. “Your brother is so pissed right now.”

“What? Why?” Emmalyn asked looking into Jasmine’s concerned eyes.

“Well Brian kinda spilled the beans about the two of you dating. Matt honestly thought you were helping him get back together with Michelle. He’s been ranting and screaming for the last fifteen minutes. Johnny had to take Brian upstairs to your bedroom because Matt kept trying to attack him.”

“Oh my god! You’ve got to be kidding me! Why can’t he just see that I’m an adult and I can date whomever I choose? He should be thankful that I’m with someone as loving, caring, and loyal as Brian,” Emmalyn fumed as she stomped into the living room. There her brother was currently pacing in front of the fire place. Johnny and Zacky were blocking the stairs. Jimmy was giving Matt this speech about how he can trust Brian and how much Brian cares about Emmalyn. Each word that came out of Jimmy’s mouth only seemed to deepen the red on Matt’s face and make the muscles in his arms more tense. He looked ready to explode.

“Matthew, can I talk to you please?” Emmalyn asked. Matt turned around to stare at his younger sister. “Outside.”

Matt followed Emmalyn’s small frame to the deck that surrounded the back of the house.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? I had to find out when Brian let it slip that you had been staying over at his place. You’ve been lying to me! You told me you were staying with Dani and Blair! What the hell, Em? You’ve never lied to me before!” he roared.

“I know. I’m sorry, Mattie. I really am. I was really afraid of how you would react. Besides, Brian and I didn’t want to tell anyone until we knew for sure this was something we wanted to do,” Emmalyn replied trying to calm him down.

“Then how come everyone else knew? Even Jasmine, my own fiancé, knew!”

“They guessed. Well, Zacky and Blair did happen to catch us kissing at a movie one night, but everyone else just assumed. I never told Jasmine and I never would have asked her to keep anything from you.”

“So, you’ve been going on dates? How long has this been going on?” he asked walking closer to her.

“About a month. I hated not telling you, Matt. I knew you wouldn’t be happy about this,” Emmalyn said with tears in her eyes.

“I want to be happy for you, Em. Have you stopped to think that he could be using you to get over Michelle? I know Brian cares for you. He always has. What if you are the rebound?” Matt asked taking hold of her shoulders.

“It’s not like that with us. He truly cares for me and I…I…” she stammered.

“What?” Matt asked gently.

“I love him, Matt. I can honestly say that I’m in love with him,” she admitted with tears in her eyes. Matt just stared at her as he processed her words.

“You love me?” a voice asked from the doorway. Matt and Emmalyn’s heads both shot up at the sound of Brian’s voice. He stood frozen.

“Brian!” Emmalyn said in shock. “I-I-I…” Brian walked over to the brother and sister. Matt hands were still on her shoulders and they tightened as Brian came closer.

“Haner, I’m still trying to talk to my little sister right now. Go away,” Matt commanded sensing the uneasiness in his sister. She had definitely not meant for Brian to hear her confession.

“You know what, Matt? I’m sick of you trying to run the show around here. My relationship with Emmalyn is my business not yours!” Brian said indignantly. Matt let go of Emmalyn as the two men started a shouting match. Emmalyn seized this opportunity to run. She grabbed the first set of keys she saw on the kitchen counter and ran out the front door. The other guys and Jasmine were too busy trying to separate Matt and Brian to even notice that she had left. Hitting the unlock button on the key, she saw the lights on Brian’s Escalade flicker. Jumping in, she started the vehicle and backed out of the driveway.

With no destination in mind, she drove. Her cell phone rang continuously for about thirty minutes before she silenced it. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. She was angry at her brother for being too protective. She was angry at herself for admitting her feelings in front of Brian. She was angry at Brian because he caused her to feel those strong feelings that she had never felt for anyone else.

So, in complete silence, Emmalyn drove for hours in Brian’s truck with no place to go.