I Like the Remix

Raelyn smiled as she walked back into the living room to find Victoria and Evann, Matt’s son, sitting on the couch. They were watching Toy Story when the five year old had requested popcorn. Matt had to go into the studio and Raelyn had offered to babysit Evann while he was away. Matt’s ex, Charlotte, had come to California to talk to Matt. From what Raelyn got from Matt, Charlotte just wanted to talk things out and do what was best for Evann.

Just as the movie was coming to an end, the popcorn gone, Matt came in with Charlotte. “Time to go, buddy.” He smiled at Evann who immediately jumped up and ran over to hug his dad. “Go with your mom, I’ll see you later.” Matt stated as he returned the hug and then got down to his level to kiss his forehead. He watched as Evann ran over to Charlotte who smiled down at him happily.

“Thanks for watching him, Raelyn.” She told her, genuine gratitude in her eyes.

“It’s not a problem! He’s such a sweetheart.” She waved and grinned when Evann returned it. “I’ll see you guys later.” The two walked out of the apartment and her grin disappeared when Matt looked back at her, a conflicted look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Can we talk?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Raelyn nodded and stood up. She slipped on her gym shoes and grabbed her keys. The two walked out the door leaving behind a concerned Victoria.

“What’s up?” Raelyn asked once they had made their way to the park down the street.

“So Charlotte was talking about wanting what’s best for Evann. She also told me that she missed me and thought it would be really good for Evann if we got back together. I told her I would have to think about it more.” He admitted with a frown.

Raelyn took a shaky breath and turned so she was facing him, slowly walking backwards. “Is that what you want?” She inquired softly. She came to a stop as she waited for his answer. He reached for her hand and held it in both of his.

“I don’t know. You’re amazing, and the last year has been… amazing. I love you, and I don’t want to think about life without you.” Matt admitted. He held her gaze for a moment longer, and was not surprised when she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I love you, too.” She mumbled quietly, ashamed for being happy that she was keeping him from going back to his son and exgirlfriend… Being a real family.

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Why she had agreed to come to this gettogether was beyond her. But thankfully, Matt had come with her this time. She was talking with Zina, Zacky’s older sister. A warm smile on her face as they talked about Zina’s kids and how home life was treating the only Baker that Raelyn had ever had a good relationship that hadn’t been tainted by any sort of bad memory. Matt watched from afar, still feeling conflicted. He loved Raelyn, but Charlotte’s argument had been convincing too. Evann would be better off with both parents. And as much as he hated to admit it, he still loved Charlotte. He would always love her to some extent, she had been his first true love. And he would always have a tie back to Charlotte through Evann.

He let out a frustrated sigh and ran his left hand through his hair. “Hey man, you seem like you’re having a rough time. You okay?” Matt looked to his right and saw Zacky standing there with two beers, one outstretched to him.

“Yeah. Girl problems.” He stated with a shrug, not noticing Zacky’s peaked interest in his statement as he took the beer from the guitarist.

“I hear ya, man. Anything I can help with?” He asked. Matt shrugged unsure of whether he should be telling someone he barely knew about his problems. When he looked up, he saw a sympathetic face of someone who knew the pains of being a rockstar on tour most of the year.

Matt kept his eyes on Raelyn as he began to tell his story. He explained his previous relationship with Charlotte, meeting Raelyn at a music video shoot, seeing her again at a different music video shoot and asking her out. Zacky nodded and let him continue on. He went through the differences between the two girls, his love for his son, and the way he felt like he was screwing over both women by feeling this way. “I mean… Am I a bad person for feeling this way?”

“No. They both mean a lot to you. Your son is going to play a huge factor into it. And to be honest, knowing Raelyn as well as I do, she might be upset at first. But she’s not going to hold it against you for trying to make your family idea work. And to be honest, after seeing what a split family did to one of my friends, it may be best for Evann if you at least try that. Raelyn would want you to fight for your family.” Zacky reasoned, lying about the friend with the divorced parents. “You gotta do what’s best for your son, Raelyn will understand.”

Matt nodded as he took all of Zack’s words into consideration. He then took a long swig of his beer, his eyes going back to Raelyn who was now checking her phone since Zina had walked away. She looked up and smiled brightly at him, and he found himself unable to meet her gaze. Matt looked away and finished the beer before walking over to her. “Can we go talk somewhere?”

She nodded and Zacky watched as the two walked into the house. He glanced through the window as they started to talk. He watched her face drop as Matt spoke. After a few moments, she had a forced smile on her face. She nodded and he could make out the words ‘I understand.’ Raelyn had stepped forward and hugged him. They separated and she gave him another forced smile until he walked away. The look dropped from her face and a tear rolled down her cheek. When she looked up and met his eyes, he could tell she was infuriated.

She walked out of the house and glared at Zacky. He watched as she walked into the garage and reappeared with a skateboard. She glanced towards her mom and spoke quickly. “I’m leaving. Sorry, something came up.”

Raelyn abandoned her car and headed for the skatepark she used to hide out at after her homework was done. She skated towards the back of the park where there was a bench. She took a seat, pulled her knees up to her chest and started to cry into her knees. ‘Zack said you would want me to fight for my family. So that’s what I’m going to try to do. I’m sorry, Raelyn, I never meant to hurt you.’