Don't Hesitate

It was raining outside. Inside, Demi was curled up on the couch with her laptop nestled between her knees and her chest, a cold cup of coffee was balanced on the arm of the chair (she didn't know it had gone cold, but the steam had been gone a while). She didn't jump when the front door opened and slammed, didn't flinch at the cold air that rushed into the room, just carried on browsing through her picture file, every few seconds glancing a little nervously at the letter which was now crumpled and a little water-stained lying on the seat beside her. She kept re-reading the same line: send me some pics of you so I don't just got to keep thinkin, if you know what I mean. If you know what I mean. Demi's eyes flicked across bikini shots of her on holiday the last year, of her sunbathing on beach, her cheeks flushing a little at the intimacy of the dark blurred shots.

"Having fun?" Demi jumped and slammed the lid of her laptop down.
"Uh," she murmured in response, blushing a little, and Melinda leaned over the back of the couch and whispered,
"Don't send anything, babe. If he wants to look at naked girls he can get a copy of Maxim." She smiled, laughed, ruffled Demi's hair. "You're too good for that," she sang, and pulled away, and Demi turned with her, her eyes following the slender blonde as she spun around and threw herself energetically into the arms of the waiting male, standing there with a cap shoved low above his eyes and a wonky smile on his lips which she kissed.
"Hey Gabe," Demi said, shoving her laptop off her knees and standing up.
"What's up Dem?" He asked, catching Melinda by her hips and pulling her against him. They giggled infuriatingly at each other and Demi rolled her eyes, snapped a hair tie off her wrist and began to bundle her tousled waves into a bun on the top of her head.
"You guys going out tonight?" She asked with a yawn, fiddling aimlessly with the ties on her sweatpants.
"Yeah," Gabe replied, his voice muffled before he pulled away and caught Melinda by her hand. "Vans promo party. Sorry I only get one plus one."
"Uh, don't worry about it, going out is the last thing on my mind," Demi muttered, her voice low and deliberately scratchy.
"Shouldn't be," Melinda chipped in. "I think it'd be good for you."
"I've gotta prepare for this interview."
"Babe, that's not till next week."
"What interview?" Gabe asked, walking over to join Demi beside the sofa, arms folded across his chest.
"It's at AP, for an interviewing job," Melinda butt in, smiling broadly.
"That's awesome," Gabe said, clapping his hand down on Demi's shoulder.
"I won't get it," she replied quietly.
"I'm loving the optimism," he said, shaking his head softly, "But it doesn't matter. You give it a go, you work hard." Demi lifted her face towards his and smiled, but she only experienced a moment self-satisfaction before Gabe returned his attention to Melinda.
"You gonna go get a shower?" Melinda asked, smiling as Gabe kissed her nose and said,
"Uh-huh. Give you two ladies a break." He let her go and, pulling his cap off his head he looked over his shoulder as Melinda called to him,
"Make sure you scrub up clean and good, I don't wanna hobo for a boyfriend." He laughed and headed of into the bathroom, and as the door slammed Melinda sat down on the arm of the couch and reached out to grab Demi's hand, play like a grinning child with the rings on her fingers.
"Why don't you get out, babe? You could use the break."
"I-- I can't."
"We can find a way to get you in."
"I don't wanna get in," Demi said, offering a small smile.
"Oh my God, what about Kellin? You can be his plus one!"
"What? No."
"Now Julia's out the picture."
"She's not out the picture," Demi said with another eye-roll, and then paused, bit her lip.
"What?" She watched as Melinda's expression changed subtly, and she cocked her head to one side as something dawned on her. "What's going on?" She asked again, tone a little sharper, brightened with interest.
"I-- oh, God, the other day at work-- she came to see me."
"What! Julia?"
"God, yes," Demi murmured, cupping her face in her hands. "It was-- it was awful. I guess I didn't handle it so good. But she was all up in my face talking about Kellin was hers and about how great their relationship is."
"You're fucking shitting me."
"I'm not," Demi insisted, shaking her head tiredly, "She was-- shit, she was fierce, she has this crazy-possessive side, at one point she even grabbed me and told me not to walk away."
Melinda nodded, looking reflective. "Well, I knew it. I always knew she was a bitch." She looked up at Demi. "So what did you say to her?"
"Uh, I don't know," Demi shrugged, slowly pulling her hands from her face where they left gentle pink marks in the shape of her fingers. "I just told her all I care about is Danny, maybe I said she could keep Kellin, I don't know, I was mad, that was what she seemed to want to hear."
"So you lied?"
"Of course I didn't lie. I don't want Kellin. Even if I did if I'd have told her she would've cut my eyes out with nail scissors."
Melinda looked at her pointedly and stood up. "Small price to pay for true love," she said. She didn't leave any time for a retort. "I mean, fuck, Dem, if she's that mad at you, she's clearly worried as hell. She knows something's up, she's bullshitting, I bet Kellin told her they'd broken up already and she can't take it."
Demi shrugged a little and looked down.
"He's making a lot of sacrifices for you," Melinda said softly, and reached out to squeeze Demi's hand. She didn't squeeze back.
"Well, I don't know. I haven't heard from him since." Demi offered her friend a sad sort of smile. "I don't think I'm top of his list of plus-ones."
"Well, have you called him?" Melinda asked, getting to her feet.
"No," Demi said defensively. "I can't just call him."
"But you wanted him to call you," Melinda grinned. "Weird, huh."
"Linda," Demi muttered, picking up her cup of coffee finally and taking a sip. She made a face of disgust and placed it down sharpish on the table.
"Karma," Melinda smiled, and turned as Gabe came back into the room in a pair of boxers and a towel around his shoulders, rubbing furiously at his hair. Melinda danced over to him. "Hey, baby, do you know why Kellin hasn't called Demi lately?"
"Uh," Gabe murmured, slowly lowering his arm and looking down. "Um."
Melinda stepped away from him, a slow frown cutting into her forehead which almost matched the one that had settled into Demi's who had settled back onto the sofa and was peeping over the back of it with a confused, nervous kind of look.
"What?" Melinda asked.
"Ah, shit, I don't know if I'm s'posed to say, uh, maybe you should just get Dem to talk to him--"
"Oh no, no, no. You tell us now."
"Baby, I--"
"Gabe."

Gabe sighed and looked over at Demi, a soft, pitying expression on his features, his eyebrows sloped into encouraging arches. "He heard the, the, uh, the whole conversation you had with Julia. He called you but you didn't put him on hold."
Demi closed her eyes and swore softly.
"He's pretty cut up about it," Gabe added in almost a whisper, nodding a little to himself. "He's mad at Julia for doing it but he thinks you...You meant him to hear."
"But obviously that's not true," Melinda butted in, "Dem just wouldn't do that."
"Don't look at me," Gabe said, holding his hands in the air a little. "I only know what he told me."
"And what did he tell you?" Melinda asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"Some...stuff."
"What stuff?"
"Baby, please, I don't wanna say, you should really talk to him--"
"Gabe, please," Demi said in a voice that was thin and wavered a little. She looked at him with wide serious eyes and you could see him crumple a little as he looked helplessly at Melinda and sank onto the arm of the sofa opposite Demi.
"He, um. He's thinking he made the wrong decision, breaking up with Julia. He's thinking he should've just, I don't know, stayed away like you wanted him to. I think he-- he doesn't regret you two, he just thinks..."
"What?" Melinda asked in a voice as thin as Demi's. Gabe looked up at her pleadingly and shrugged.
"He's just real hurt. I mean, real hurt. Lately I don't know, he just kind of convinced himself it was all over for him and Julia, I don't think he's gotten you out of his head, Dem, I'm not saying this because I'm his friend and I want you to be persuaded, but...He put all his money on you, you know? And it didn't pay off for him."
It was silent for a moment, and Gabe and Melinda exchanged a serious look before they glanced in unison as Demi who was leaning her head against the back of the sofa, silent.
"What did he say to Julia?" Melinda asked.
"What?" Gabe frowned.
"What did he say to her? I mean, she gave Demi a lot of bullshit, surely he said something."
"Um, well, I don't know, I just know he was mad, she came over to his place when we were hanging out the other night and they had this argument in the bathroom. She walked out crying."
"And?"
"And what, Melinda, I don't know what else, you want to know, you get Demi to go talk to him, I'm not a fucking messenger boy," he snapped.
Demi looked at him sharply with a look of concern and he lifted his hand up as if to call a truce and muttered,
"Sorry, Dem."
She lay her head on the back of the sofa and murmured, "I didn't know he heard."
"Does it matter that he heard? You didn't say anything you didn't want him to know, right?" Melinda asked, and Demi turned towards her, lifting up her head again and giving an empty shrug. Gabe said nothing, only stood up, throwing the towel over his shoulder.
"Dem?" Melinda asked again, and went to sit down beside her friend who looked at her thoughtfully. Melinda glanced over at Gabe. "Is Kellin coming tonight?"
"I don't know," Gabe said. "I think so. I figure he needs it, he figures he needs it too."
"Can you fix it so he comes?"
"Baby."
"What?"
"I can't just--" He looked at Demi who was leaning her head on the back of the sofa again, not speaking. "I'll call him. I'm not forcing him. It's the best I can do."
"Can you call him and be super-nice?" Melinda asked brightly. "I'll fix me and Dem up, we can come meet you."
"I--" Gabe started, and cleared his throat. "Alright. Just--" he paused and glanced at Demi, and then started to head off towards the bedroom. "Just don't wear the black dress again."
"Why?"
"Because you're too fucking hot in it," he called, and the two girls looked knowingly at each other and laughed, for a second the tension lifted. Then it settled again, all around them, in the same way dust settles after a storm and lingers.
"You know, I said I didn't want him," Demi murmured, as Melinda reached out to brush a little hair out of her face. "I said if I wanted him if it would've happened years ago. I said I was happy with Danny." Melinda rested her hand on Demi's cheek. "I said she could keep him."
"Well, she hasn't even managed to do that," Melinda said with a smile, "Stupid bitch."
"I don't think I meant it," Dem said quietly, looking up at Melinda with round, baby-possum eyes. "I don't think."
"You're the worst decision-maker in the world," Melinda laughed and pulled her hand away. "You know what the problem is here? Danny."
"It's not him."
"No, it's not him," Melinda said, shaking her head. "It's his ghost. He's not even here and you're acting like he's breathing down your neck. Now I'd like to say you could've handled this better and waited till he got leave till you jumped into bed with Kellin but um, life doesn't happen like that. You gotta pick yourself up and deal with what you did. But you gotta be honest with him."
"Yes."
"You gotta let him know now what you want. If it's a yes, if it's a no. Whatever. But you can be sure this is the easiest fucking decision you'll ever make because, honey, you know he's crazy about you."
Demi allowed herself a gentle smile which warmed her a little at the thought of him. "I think I'll come to the party."
"Hell yes you will," Melinda grinned, reaching out to push Demi's fringe from her face. "And you'll look beautiful. So when you tell Kellin what he wants to hear you'll blow him away."
"Something tells me it's not going to be that simple," she said, and then, with a faint trace of curiosity on her face, added, "What do you think they argued about?"
"Who?"
"Kellin and Julia. Do you think they argued about them? About me?"
"Who gives a fuck," Melinda laughed, getting to her feet, "All I care about is that it's a sign they're good and done. I don't care if I don't ever have to look at that woman again."
Demi laughed and got up, too, for the first time feeling like she'd stumbled upon something that felt right. She picked up the letter left beside her laptop and walked towards the kitchen and. as she passed, dropped it into the bin. Melinda watched her do it and smiled.