Forever's Not Supposed to End

Hayley's point of view

"Really, I'm OK, just had a few seconds there where I kinda thought I might hit the deck," said Matthew with a small laugh.

We'd dragged him into Dan's bedroom and shut the door to block out the music.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, Nathan and Dan sat either side of him, Nathan forcing him to sip on a glass of water. Jenna and I stood watching the three guys talking.

"I feel better now," I said, pushing the half a glass of water into Nathan's hands and standing up shakily.

"Just sit down, you're still shaking," I said, walking over and pushing him down by the shoulders.

"I love you," he grinned up at me, wrapping his arms around my waist and sliding his hands inside my dress as it was backless.

Nathan, Jenna and Dan 'aww'ed loudly and I smirked, hugging him back before kissing him gently on the top of the head.

"So... anything uh... special gonna happen at midnight?" asked Nathan, nudging his brother slightly.

"Nope," he smirked up at me.

"Aww," I pouted.

"Hey well maybe when we get home," he mumbled, his fingers tracing circles on my skin and making me shiver slightly.

Nathan started to make loud gagging noises and Matthew let go of me so he could shove his brother who then started giggling.

"Let's get everybody drunk!" cried Matthew, jumping to his feet and vanishing from the room before any of us could stop him.

"PACE YOURSELF!" yelled Nathan after him, causing us all to laugh a little as Nathan sighed and buried his face into his hands.

His energy was definitely coming back, so we were happy to let him do what he wanted, but to supervise him so he didn't go too far and end up in a bad situation.

Dan was the next to leave the room and Jenna sat down on the bed next to Nathan and he wrapped his arms around her.

"You guys are so cute," I grinned at them.

"Nowhere near as cute as you and Matthew," said Jenna and Nathan nodded.

"But I mean he's kinda-" I started but I was cut off by Dan and Matthew crashing back into the room.

"Look! Rum!" giggled Matthew, swigging from a whole bottle clutched in his hand.

I sighed and smirked at him. He was clearly in the mood for some serious partying.

"We gonna get drunk and make fools of ourselves?" asked Nathan, taking the rum from Matthew and swigging it.

"You know it! Maybe it'll even be like last new years, and we can do some sexy dancing for the ladies," giggled Matthew, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek sloppily.

"I love how you get drunk in five seconds flat," I giggled.

"I'm just that awesome," he grinned.

"Alright, quit being anti-social and go and party with everybody else," commanded Dan, holding the door open for us all to leave his room.

The second we were out of the room Matthew grabbed my hand and span me around, then pulled me close.

"What was that supposed to be?" I smirked as he kissed me quickly.

"What, you don't want to dance with me?" he pouted.

"Maybe after I have a few beverages, I'll be right back," I promised, leaving him talking to a few people and going into the kitchen to get us some drinks.

I deliberately mixed Matthew's drink so it was weak, I didn't want him to get completely wasted, especially so early in the night.

I spent the next few hours talking, laughing and dancing badly with everyone, but mainly Matthew. Even when we were stood on opposite sides of the room talking to different people, our eyes would meet across the room and I'd feel a tingle of electricity shoot through my body.

I was stood at the kitchen counter, talking to Jenna, my back to the door, mixing up another round of drinks even though I already felt like I'd had enough to drink.

A pair of hands slid inside the back of my dress and a mouth began kissing my neck, trailing up to my ear.

"So yeah, what were you saying, sorry?" I asked Jenna, Matthew had completely distracted me.

"Just about this modelling job I have coming up, so I have to get into the best shape ever, and Nathan doesn't know it yet but I'm going to make him come running with me in the mornings," she giggled, sipping on her drink.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll love you for that," I laughed, then shivered slightly as Matthew's fingers trailed my lower back.

"Yeah, he'll probably throw a tantrum and then get over it in about five minutes, if I promise him food or sex," she giggled.

I laughed and sipping on my drink again. One of Matthew's hands left my back and took my drink and sipped it, then handed it back to me.

I continued trying to talk to Jenna, but it was becoming increasingly impossible with Matthews hot breath on my neck sending tingles through my whole body.

I tiled my head back to look at him behind me.

"Can I help you?" I asked and he smirked. He was really drunk, but it was kind of adorable. He'd just become extra sociable and confident, and he seemed to be pain-free, which was a relief because he'd really scared me earlier on.

"Maybe," he mumbled, moving his hands onto my hips and pressing himself against my back.

"Matthew," I giggled.

"I feel like I should leave you guys alone," smiled Jenna, sliding down off the countertop she was sitting on and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

"If I could lock this door, I'd bend you over this counter right now," whispered Matthew in my ear, then biting on it playfully.

"You're filthy when you're drunk," I smirked, turning around to face him.

"Matthew isn't here right now, you've got Mr. Nightmoves," he smirked, putting his hands back inside the back of my dress.

"Am I taking him home with me?" I asked, sipping on my drink again.

"Either you are, or I'm taking you right here," he growled, pushing me against the counter and roughly slamming his lips to mine.

My heart was pounding. This was an extremely different side of Matthew, but... he was exciting me, a lot.

Our tongues trailed all over each others, mixing tastes of alcohol and each other. The kiss broke and I gasped for breath, but Matthew went straight to biting my neck.

"Mmm, don't," I mumbled, trying to push him away.

"But I want to," he whispered against my neck.

"Can't you wait until later? And when we get home we can... I don't know... find something to do?" I suggested, trailing my hands over his back.

"Oh believe me, I've got ideas," he smirked.

"I think you're secretly just as filthy as Nightmoves, I just need to find it," he breathed and I took a deep breath.

"You think so do you?" I asked, tilting my head back, my hands finding the back of his neck as he continued to kiss and bite my neck.

"I think you-"

"Hey guuuuuys," sang Nathan, bounding into the room and interrupting Matthew.

"Wow, get a room," he giggled, seeing Matthew and I all over each other.

"We have one, now get out," I said quickly, stepping away from Matthew and pushing Nathan towards the door.

"But guuuys it's almost midnight and I haven't even seen my brother all night," he pouted, slurring his speech slightly and swaying on his feet.

"He's not here right now," said Matthew, sitting up on the countertop and smirking at his brother.

"Nightmoves? Holt shit! Damn this guy is fun, and I hear he's quite the acrobat in the bedroom so you're in for a hell of a night," smirked Nathan, nudging me back towards Matthew.

"Oh really?" I smirked as Matthew grabbed me and held me close, wrapping his arms and legs around me as he was sat on the kitchen counter.

"I want you so bad right now," Matthew growled in my ear, quietly so Nathan didn't hear him.

"Later," I whispered, unable to keep the smirk off my face as my mind began imagining the fun we were potentially going to get up to later that night.

"But guys, it's almost the end of the year, and nightmoves I need my brother back because we have something to show him," said Nathan, pulling me away from Matthew and then pulling Matthew down off the counter.

He ushered us both back into the living room where everyone was gathered around facing the TV which now had my laptop hooked up to it, ready to show Matthew what Nathan and I had been working on for the last few weeks.

"What's going on?" asked Matthew as we were pushed to the front.

"You'll see," I smiled, kissing him on the cheek as Nathan climbed up on a chair.

Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.

"Hey everybody," he grinned, waving and wobbling slightly on the chair.

Jenna offered her hand and he took it to help keep himself steady in his drunken state.

"So, we've been putting together a little video for Matthew, so yeah, if you can refrain from partying while we bore you with it, and then we're going to force him to make a speech," giggled Nathan, practically falling off the chair as Dan hit play on the laptop.

"This starts kinda heavy, just to warn you," I whispered quickly to Matthew and he took my hand and nodded.

The screen stayed black but my voice filled the room.

Yeah, to start with I kinda... I don't know, I guess I just wanted to keep him comfortable, I didn't think there was any chance of him even getting through that first night.

An old photo of Matthew and Nathan slowly faded onto the screen and Nathan's voice came through the speakers, a section of the interview he'd given on the news.

The first few days he couldn't really say anything coherent, but today he woke up and knew who he was, and who I was, so the prognosis is getting better by the hour.

Matthew squeezed my hand and his face buried into my shoulder. I smoothed his soft hair and squeezed his hand back, keeping my eyes fixed on the screen.

The hardest image of the entire slideshow faded onto the screen. It was of Matthew, laying unconscious in his hospital bed, with Nathan sitting beside him, holding his hand tightly, head down, eyes closed, desperate.

He's the strongest person I've ever met. I remember when we first got him to us, everybody wrote him off right away, but right after the surgery I knew he was going to make it, and I knew he was really special. My voice cracked on the recording because both Nathan and I had cried recording our parts for it.

Next was a tiny piece of footage of Matthew laying in his bed, he noticed the camera and gave a very small wave and half a smile, before closing his eyes again and drifting back off to wherever he spent those first few days.

The next was a piece of footage of Nathan cleaning his bedroom so Matthew could be moved from the hospital to there.

Don't know if you'll ever see this, but I finally cleaned my room because of you. Look at me. I'm cleaning Matthew! What is the world coming to huh? The Nathan on the screen was smiling but clearly fighting back tears, just like the Nathan standing in the room.

A picture of me and Matthew flicked onto the screen, the first picture of us ever taken. Matthew looked totally out of it and I looked completely exhausted, but we were holding hands tightly.

He went home and I don't even know what happened, every day it was like he was improving to double what he was the day before. Nathan's the one who got him through it, he's the one who saved Matthew, not the doctors.

A few more tiny scraps of footage appeared on the screen. Matthew trying to do a sit up but he was laughing too hard to do it, Nathan and Matthew pulling stupid faces in the mirror, Matthew with Dan and Mateo, the first time he saw them after what happened, talking and laughing together.

My favourite clip appeared next. It was just three seconds, Matthew holding his bass and staring serious at the camera for about a second, the tilting his head to the side and laughing. I hadn't been there for that moment, but when Nathan showed me the clip I instantly fell in love with it.

The video then switched to the part that Nathan had put together.

Even with everything that happened, it's worked out to be a pretty good year for him. He's the happiest I've ever seen him and its all thanks to him being truly in love for the first time with a really wonderful girl. A recent picture of me and Matthew appeared on the screen and Matthew kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand.

The last clip appeared, it was Nathan sitting on the couch in the apartment, we were just talking.

If I could say anything to him? I'd say don't you dare ever scare me like that again, my little heart can't take it! And I guess I'd tell him I love him loads, but that sounds kinda sappy... so... yeah. The Nathan on the screen smirked at the camera.

A series of clips played, of people wishing Matthew the best, saying how much they loved him. Matthew tugged on my hand and I looked at him to see tars rolling down his face.

"Hey, no crying," I said quietly so nobody else would hear me, holding him close.

Tears were burning at my own eyes as the last clip appeared. Filmed just a few days ago it was Nathan and I stood together, with me talking awkwardly to the camera.

Hey Matthew. We love you, but you know that. Let's get rid of this year and start our next adventure OK? Yeah? Great. Good. Bye!

There was a few moments of silence before Dan broke it.

"Holy shit everybody! It's ten seconds until midnight!"

"TEN!" the room started to count down to the new year.

"I love you so much," sighed Matthew, pulling me into a hug.

"I love you too, forever," I smiled up at him.

"Forever sounds good to me," he smiled, closing the gap between our lips as everybody started cheering and going crazy as the clock struck twelve.

We kissed for a few seconds, neither of us really wanting to break apart.

"That video was so sad, but then so happy, and I just... sorry I got all emo and cried all over you," he chuckled, our foreheads still pressed together.

"You should have seen how much we cried making it, it was-"

"Excuse me, but I need to borrow this crazy guy for just a moment," slurred Nathan, interrupting our conversation and forcing a shot glass into Matthew's hand.

"To you never ever scaring me again, or I promise I'll kill you myself," said Nathan, raising his own glass.

"Uh.. OK," laughed Matthew, the two of them drank quickly and Matthew pulled a face.

"Ergh. I need to stop before Nightmoves finds his way out again," he smirked at me.

"Hmm... I don't know if I'd complain, I kinda of wanted to spend some more time with that guy," I smirked.

Matthew's eyes widened slightly and he disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, returning a few moments later with four large drinks, one for each of us.

"To a new year, a new start, and a new adventure," he said, handing the four of us our drinks.

We raised our glasses and drank, Matthew chugging down all of his in one go.

"Speaking of new adventures..." said Nathan, taking Jenna's hand.

"Nathan," she giggled.

"I'm really serious here. Can we be serious for a minute?" he said, seeming to instantly sober up.

"I'm being serious," she smiled.

"Good. This is the first thing I want to do this year, and before I chicken out, here I go," he said, taking a deep breath and glancing at Matthew, before looking back to Jenna, who looked completely confused.

"Last year I learned an important lesson. I learned that you can't take anything for granted, and that one moment you can have everything, and the next, it can all be hanging by a thread. This year, I'm going to make the most of every single moment I have. Jenna, I love you more than I believed I could ever love somebody. The way you make me feel is indescribable, and I want to feel that way every single moment for the rest of my life," he stopped and smiled at her as she froze. Matthew squeezed my hand tightly.

"Nathan, what are you-?"

"Jenna Martinelli," grinned Nathan, dropping to one knee and removing a ring box from his pocket.

"Will you marry me?"