***in' Perfect
Don't Make Me Regret It
Alli POV-
Things were kind of awkward for a few days after Zack and I broke up. We told the guys and none of them really understood fully. I didn't expect them to. I loved them all dearly, but they just didn't get it. I closed my suitcase and zipped it shut. We were packing for Vegas. The guys had a show on Zack's birthday at the Hard Rock...Mike's last show with the boys. It was a bittersweet ending, really. I was going to miss Mike Portnoy. He was a wonderful man who did wonderful things for the guys in their time of need, but it was time for him to move on. The doorbell rang from downstairs. "I got it!" Lexi's voice called. I heard the door open followed by the sound of glass breaking. I ran down the stairs to find Craig standing at the door, laughing at my sister. I blushed and walked the rest of the way down the stairs. Zack was standing in a puddle of milk and cereal right next to Lexi. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "Yeah, uh...your sister just had a little fangirl moment I think," Craig replied, laughing still. "She does that. I'm sorry man. Come on in," Zack said. Craig stepped over the cereal mess and into the foyer. He looked so good with the way the light was hitting him. "Hey you," he said, smiling at me. "Hey," I replied. He hugged me tightly, rubbing my back. Zack gave me a slight smile and walked into the bathroom to get something to clean up Lexi's mess. "Sorry to just drop by. I was hanging out with Beau and I figured I'd pay you a visit before you headed out of town. Where's Belle?" Craig asked, looking around. "She's at her grandma's..." I replied. "Damn. I love that little munchkin," he said. I blushed, covering my face. "So, what brings you to HB, Craig?" Lexi asked. "Uh. Just...visiting a friend. Figured I'd visit another," he replied, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Lexi smirked at me. "Sorry about the whole...cereal thing. Anyway. It's nice to finally meet you. My name's Lexi," she extended her hand to him. I was going to kill her. "It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you from Al," he replied. Lexi smirked and shot me a glance. He called me Al...and only a few people got away with that. "Can I...talk to you outside for a second?" I asked Craig. "Yeah, sure. It was nice meeting you both," he said before following me outside.
"Your sister's nice. Zacky seemed cool too," he said as I shut the door. "They're both great," I replied. "What's wrong? Should I have called first?" he asked. I shook my head. "No, no. It's okay. You're fine, I just...I wasn't expecting you..." I answered. "Yeah, I know. Surprise...you hate surprises, don't you?" Craig asked me. I laughed and hugged him tightly. "I do, but not from you. I've wanted to see you for days. It's been so weird around here since I broke up with Zack," I told him. "You okay?" he asked, rubbing my back. I pulled away and looked into his eyes. For the first time, I really felt sad about the whole thing. Tears threatened to fall as I shook my head no once more. "No...I mean...I don't know. Maybe I messed up. I mean, we have a baby. Isn't this going to make things difficult? I never wanted to hurt Zack, ya know? I love him, I'm just not in love with him. I have feelings for someone else and I don't know how they feel about me. Maybe I should've..." I was rambling, pacing back and forth, when Craig grabbed me by the arm and placed a finger over my lips. "Everything is going to be fine...and this other person you have feelings for would be fucking dumb to not feel the same way about you back," he said. I bit my lip and looked away. If he only knew. "Craig, I...I'm not good with being forward. I'm not good with telling people how I feel about them...so...I'm just going to be honest...I have feelings for you and I can't make them go away. I just don't want to ruin our friendship. If you don't feel the same way about me, I understand, really, I do...but...I gave up Zack for you...the one guy I always wanted...I risked losing everything I came to California for because I have feelings for you. Don't make me regret it. Please."
Things were kind of awkward for a few days after Zack and I broke up. We told the guys and none of them really understood fully. I didn't expect them to. I loved them all dearly, but they just didn't get it. I closed my suitcase and zipped it shut. We were packing for Vegas. The guys had a show on Zack's birthday at the Hard Rock...Mike's last show with the boys. It was a bittersweet ending, really. I was going to miss Mike Portnoy. He was a wonderful man who did wonderful things for the guys in their time of need, but it was time for him to move on. The doorbell rang from downstairs. "I got it!" Lexi's voice called. I heard the door open followed by the sound of glass breaking. I ran down the stairs to find Craig standing at the door, laughing at my sister. I blushed and walked the rest of the way down the stairs. Zack was standing in a puddle of milk and cereal right next to Lexi. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "Yeah, uh...your sister just had a little fangirl moment I think," Craig replied, laughing still. "She does that. I'm sorry man. Come on in," Zack said. Craig stepped over the cereal mess and into the foyer. He looked so good with the way the light was hitting him. "Hey you," he said, smiling at me. "Hey," I replied. He hugged me tightly, rubbing my back. Zack gave me a slight smile and walked into the bathroom to get something to clean up Lexi's mess. "Sorry to just drop by. I was hanging out with Beau and I figured I'd pay you a visit before you headed out of town. Where's Belle?" Craig asked, looking around. "She's at her grandma's..." I replied. "Damn. I love that little munchkin," he said. I blushed, covering my face. "So, what brings you to HB, Craig?" Lexi asked. "Uh. Just...visiting a friend. Figured I'd visit another," he replied, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Lexi smirked at me. "Sorry about the whole...cereal thing. Anyway. It's nice to finally meet you. My name's Lexi," she extended her hand to him. I was going to kill her. "It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you from Al," he replied. Lexi smirked and shot me a glance. He called me Al...and only a few people got away with that. "Can I...talk to you outside for a second?" I asked Craig. "Yeah, sure. It was nice meeting you both," he said before following me outside.
"Your sister's nice. Zacky seemed cool too," he said as I shut the door. "They're both great," I replied. "What's wrong? Should I have called first?" he asked. I shook my head. "No, no. It's okay. You're fine, I just...I wasn't expecting you..." I answered. "Yeah, I know. Surprise...you hate surprises, don't you?" Craig asked me. I laughed and hugged him tightly. "I do, but not from you. I've wanted to see you for days. It's been so weird around here since I broke up with Zack," I told him. "You okay?" he asked, rubbing my back. I pulled away and looked into his eyes. For the first time, I really felt sad about the whole thing. Tears threatened to fall as I shook my head no once more. "No...I mean...I don't know. Maybe I messed up. I mean, we have a baby. Isn't this going to make things difficult? I never wanted to hurt Zack, ya know? I love him, I'm just not in love with him. I have feelings for someone else and I don't know how they feel about me. Maybe I should've..." I was rambling, pacing back and forth, when Craig grabbed me by the arm and placed a finger over my lips. "Everything is going to be fine...and this other person you have feelings for would be fucking dumb to not feel the same way about you back," he said. I bit my lip and looked away. If he only knew. "Craig, I...I'm not good with being forward. I'm not good with telling people how I feel about them...so...I'm just going to be honest...I have feelings for you and I can't make them go away. I just don't want to ruin our friendship. If you don't feel the same way about me, I understand, really, I do...but...I gave up Zack for you...the one guy I always wanted...I risked losing everything I came to California for because I have feelings for you. Don't make me regret it. Please."