I Saw Your Heart as It Overtook Me

Matt's POV
I stared at Lauren, my brain still trying to determined whether or not my ears had heard correctly.

"Lauren, I-"

I stopped short when she suddenly jumped off my lap and literally tried to make a run for it. I jumped us as well and grabbed her by her waist, spinning her around to look at me.

I felt my heart drop slightly as I caught sight of the fear in her eyes; however, it wasn't a 'physical' fear or whatever you'd like to call it ... but emotional fear. The type one would show when unsure about putting their heart out there, the type that had cast Lauren in a dark shadow for the past five years.

"I-I shouldn't have said that." She stuttered.

I managed a faint smile as I took her hand in mine.

"Er ... That's definitely not the answer I expected." I admitted. "But ... Do you really wanna spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Y-yeah ... I guess so ... I mean ... yes, I do." She said nervously. "B-but you obviously think it's way too early to think like that." She mumbled, looking as if she wanted nothing more than to disappear on the spot.

I shook my head, letting my fait smile grow into a full blown dorky grin.

"I don't think so babe." I said gently.

"You don't?" She asked slowly. "But ... you were looking at me like ... I don't know."

"Ha ... no. I was just ... fuck I don't know." I said sheepishly. "Here I was the one thinking you'd think it too early to start thinking like I was thinking."

Whoa ... what did I just say?

"What was that?" Lauren asked, cocking her heard to the side a bit.

"I ... er ... honestly I can't remember what I just said." I replied, scratching the back of my neck with my free hand.

"Okkkaaayyyy ... So ... uh ... exactly where did you want this whole conversation to go?"

"What?"

Damn, I was getting so confused.

"What was with that 'dream' question to begin with? And what was all this 'too soon' shit and ... yeah."

"Oh! I ... I wanted to ... I-I have something for you." I said feeling as retarded as I probably sounded just then.

I dug around in my pocket and search it, frowning when I found it to be empty. I shot Lauren an apologetic smile and raised a finger, signaling for her to hold on for a second. I dug my hand into my other pocket, searching that one but came up with the same results. I let go of Lauren's hand and searched both my back pockets, ending up frantically patting myself down looking for the damn thing.

"Fuck." I mumbled to myself. "Where the fuck-ohhhh ... "

I smiled sheepishly at Lauren and pulled the chain around my neck, hidden underneath my shirt, over my head and held it out for her to see what was on it.

"W-what's this?" She asked, looking back and forth between it and myself.

"It's a promise ring." I said shyly. "I was gonna give it to you, but then I thought you'd think we were rushing things too much, and ... I don't know."

"A promise ring?"

I nodded my head.

"Matt ... you got me a promise ring?" She asked, letting a smile spread across her flawless face, her vibrant eyes lighting up even more.

"Yeah." I grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer. "Here." I added, slipping the white gold chain over her head.

She grabbed a hold of the ring hanging off of it and held it up so she could examine it closer. It wasn't really anything too extravagant ... it was a white gold band that had a ruby fitted in the middle of it with three diamonds placed on either side of the ruby. I know Lauren didn't really like 'flashy things' and I don't even think I've seen her wear a ring ... which is why I put it on a chain for her.

"Baby, it's beautiful." She whispered, turning it over and over in her fingers to look at it.

"Yeah." I said quietly.

She let the ring down back to her chest and slowly looked up at me, her radiant beauty seeming to melt me on the spot.

"Lauren." I said, lacing my fingers with hers. "I promise you that I'll make every single one of your dreams come true."

I paused for a second to reach up and wipe away the stray tear that had fallen down before I continued.

"No matter what happens and no matter what it takes ... I'll will make them happen, baby."

If you're calling me a sissy right now, you can go fuck yourself. I wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to say things such as what I had just said; I'm in love. Why would one be ashamed or embarrassed of the love they feel for another?

I reached over and pressed my lips flush with Lauren's, savoring every last ounce of her intoxicating bliss before I slowly pulled away.

"I love you Lauren Amber Baker." I whispered.

"And I love you Mathew Charles Sanders."
End of Matt's POV

I grinned up at Matt, totally not believing what had just happened. Seriously, if he wasn't hanging onto my hand just then I swear I'd float away because the high I was experiencing was so ... gah ... unbelievably amazing [haha, yes, I got that floating away part from The Hot Chick ... piss off, I like that line].

As I continued to stare up at Matt I felt myself getting lost in his gaze but suddenly the sound of someone knocking on the door brought me from my thoughts.

"Hey you two, the rest of the clan is here." Zacky said, his voice somewhat muffled by the door. "And mom says that dinner will be ready in about ten minutes."

"Alright." I answered. "We'll be down."

I turned back to Matt and gave him one last kiss before I started to pull him towards the door, but he held me back. I glanced up at him and saw him laughing a bit to himself.

"Baby, aren't you forgetting your pants?" He asked, eyeing my lacy lavender panties I was wearing.

"Oh ... yeah, I guess I am." I laughed, walking back to the bed to grab my pj bottoms. "Alright, now we're ready."


We were all scattered around in the living room, laughing at some ridiculous old home movie from one of Zacky's birthday's my mom had found. It was filmed during his fourth birthday party, so that'd make me about two or so.

This video included a shot of Zacky's crying around because he didn't get the exact present he asked for and a lovely scene of myself running around butt naked in the backyard. Trust me, that had the gang laughing their asses off for a good fifteen minutes.

"Lauren." Johnny laughed. "Do you still have that birthmark on your butt?"

I glared at him and turned to cuddle more into Matt's chest as everybody started to crack up once again.

"Yeah, she does." Matt replied, laughing along with every body else.

"Hey ... don't talk about what's on my sister's butt." Zacky said, getting into his defensive big brother mode.

"Relax Zacky." My mom grinned. "He can talk about whatever he wants ... as long as it's rated PG-13." She added.

Zacky rolled his eyes and rested his head back on Amber's chest, still clearly being pissing with the whole thing.

"Well, kids, I think I'm gonna go turn in for the night." My mom announced, standing up and stretching as she did so.

"But mom, it's only 11:30." I protested as she came over and gave me a hug goodnight.

"Well, seeing as how I'm not a 'youngin' like you guys anymore." She smirked (yes, smirked ... you'd better believe that's where Zacky and I picked that up at).

"Okay, whatever." I grinned. "Goodnight mom, love you."

Zacky's POV
I sat up as my mom made her rounds, giving each and everyone of us a hug and kiss goodnight.

In a way she was almost like one of us ... I mean, as far as the 'free-spirited' side goes. She was so carefree, so ecstatic, so young at heart.

I watched her every move she made, and not in a perverted way you fucking sick-o's. Every step she took and every action she made seemed so elegant in a way.

She seemed so happy, so perfect, so ... healthy.

I looked around at everybody else in the room as the laughed and joked around with my mom as she got ready to call it a night.

They knew nothing of the secret Matt and I have been keeping from not only Lauren but from them as well.

They didn't know of the cancer that had been slowly consuming my mom's body over the course of the past year. They didn't know of the tumors riddled everywhere inside of her. They didn't know that the doctors had given her three months left to live. And they didn't know that it was one month ago when the doctors had told her.

Think it's unfair for Matt and I to keep such a secret? Keeping it away from Lauren? Keeping it away from the guys and the girls?

Yes, I thought so too ... But it's not what I wanted, nor what Matt wanted ... It's what my mom wanted.

Reasons as to why she wanted it this way?

... That is what I'd like to know.
End of Zacky's POV