Make You Feel My Love

The sound of music filled the entire mansion, as Jimmy was currently demanding his partner to hand him over the bottle of Fireball that she had stolen from him. The brunette was chuckling loudly, as she took a gulp from the bottle, not even flinching at the strong taste of tequila that practically burned down her throat.

“HAND IT OVER TO ME NOW, LEA!” Jimmy cried out, standing up from his seat and leaning over Matt’s loaded coffee table.

“Do not drool on my table, Sullivan!” Valary barged at him, pointing her finger at him, and holding her mojito in the other hand.

Jade stepped into the living room, looking at her friends who were all settled in Matt and Val’s living room. In her hand was a rather heavy bag of alcohol, as she was ready to celebrate her first evening were she was allowed to dig into booze.

“There she is!” Gena rose to her feet, her lips curling into wide smile, as she padded towards her friend and wrapped her arms tightly around her. “And you’re wearing heels! That’s my Jade!” the woman cheered.

“I am!” Jade chuckled, trapped inside Gena’s arms, as the woman swung her from one side to the other. “And I have alcohol!” she added.

“WHAT?” sometimes Jade was convinced that Jimmy’s ears were specialized to pick up the word ‘alcohol’, and now was no exception. The drummer got to his feet and crossed the room in impressive little time, and then grabbed the bag in order to inspect on his own.

“Oh my God, are you seriously drinking this wine?” he commented rather unimpressed, as he then returned the bag to it’s owner.

“Thanks, Jim.” Jade rolled her eyes at him, before Gena guided her towards the kitchen in order to grab a glass.

“You look sexy!” she smirked, meanwhile she handed Jade a huge wine-glass.

The brunette smiled sweetly. She was dressed in a vanilla shaded long-sleeved mini dress and dark designer pump heels. Her hair had been tied back into her signature ponytail and her plump lips were covered in a nude lipstick.

“You too!” Jade smirked. “I finally feel like myself again.” she commented, meanwhile she poured two glasses of wine into the glasses, one for Gena as well.

“Hello, you hot piece!” Lea quipped from behind the brunette, as she had finally escaped her boyfriend.

“Lea!” Jade smiled, inviting her friend into her embrace and pulling her against her chest. “You have to taste this!” she insisted.

“Jim doesn’t allow me to drink this one,” Lea chuckled. “He says it’s the worst wine ever.”

“That’s so not true!” Jade frowned, and watched as the other brunette took a sip from her wine, allowing the taste to fully settle inside her mouth.

“Interesting taste!” Lea concluded after grimacing for several seconds.

“I don’t get his bitching.” Gena announced, and then grabbed the bottle, serving herself a refill.

“Jimmy’s wrong.” Jade stated, grabbing the bottle before she disappeared into the living room again.

The brunette was somewhat nervous as she caught the sight of Valary, who was having Coke for the evening. The tension between the two of them was still anything but good, and the last thing Jade wanted to do was trigger the firecracker.

“Come here!” Michelle waved over at her friend, who smiled sincerely at her and then plumped down next to the woman.

Michelle circled her arm around Jade’s waist, careful as she knew her ribs hadn’t fully healed yet. Jade dropped her head unto Michelle’s shoulder, sucking up her perfume, and watching as she snatched Jade’s glass and took a swig from it.

“Not bad, Jade!” Michelle commented, genuinely impressed.

“I have good taste!” Jade told her, sounding as though she had to convince her.

“How are you holding up, Perez?” Zack asked, a glass of whiskey resting in his hand, meanwhile his wife plumped down on his lap.

“Getting better! I’m off most of meds now, and that feels really awesome!” Jade smiled.

“Ey! Cheers to that!” Johnny announced, colliding his drink into Jade’s. “That’s fucking great!”

“Gates! Can you grab more beer?” Matt asked his guitarist, who had just stepped inside the living room again after a smoke.

“On it!” Brian called as he disappeared into the kitchen, humming along to something that had been stuck on his head all day.

Jade avoided his look as she kept chatting with Zack and Johnny. The two of them filled her in on their work in the studio, which Brian hadn’t mentioned much when she’d met him.

“I can’t fucking wait to start touring!” Johnny all but groaned, just as his girlfriend shot him a glare.

“You’ll miss me, right?” Lacey pouted her lips, as her partner brought her into his embrace.

“Of course I’ll miss you.” he assured her, bringing his lips towards her cheek.

“And we’ll listen to him missing you.” Zack added, meanwhile his wife slapped his leg.

“Zee!” Gena hissed through greeted teeth.

“It’s the truth!” Zack protested.

“It is!” Jimmy joined.

“Okay, enough!” Gena announced with closed eyes, grimacing. “I’m leaving! My ears are bleeding!”

“Babe!” Zack called after his beloved wife, who grimaced at him, as she disappeared into the living room.

“Haner! Can you get me a drink?” Val called as soon as she spotted the dark-haired guitarist who had stepped out of her kitchen.

“I was just there!” Brian half-groaned at the blonde, who cocked her eyebrows at him.

“I’m pregnant!”

“Yeah, not even two months!” the guitarist pointed out.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Valary all but growled at the guitarist.

The man raised his hands up in surrender, looking like a child that had just been talked down on from a parent.

“I can get it.” Jade offered, avoiding the look on Valary’s face, as the brunette grabbed her glass and slipped out of the couch, her heels drumming against the floor as she made her way towards the kitchen.

Jade opened the fridge, her dark eyes scanning through the shelves as she looked for some soda. As she went to shut the door, she almost jumped, as she saw the sight of Brian, who had been observing her for some time.

“God! Haner, you scared me!” Jade frowned at him, her hand on top of her chest.

“Sorry, Perez. I thought I should show you where they have the soda.” he chuckled at her reaction, and then opened the freezer, his eyes all but hunting for the drink.

“Why on Earth would they keep them there?” she asked, her long fingers hooked around her glass of wine.

“This is Cali, Jade. You’re not in Connecticut anymore, it’s hot here.” Brian grinned at her, and then grabbed a can of soda.

“As if I could forget with this heat!” Jade let out, taking a sip from her glass. “Let me bring it for her.”

“You sure that’s safe?” he cocked his eyebrows, and watched as she snapped the can from here.

“What do you mean by that?” she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Oh, come on, Jade. I’m not fucking blind.” Brian told her.

“I’m very positive that I can do this without getting slaughtered. Thanks, Bri.” Jade reassured him, a gentle smile curving her glossy lips, as she grabbed the soda and then padded back to the living room, where Jimmy was stretched out on the floor with an almost empty bottle of sprite in his hand.

Jade returned to the living room and placed the can on top of the coffee table, watching as Val’s harsh expression softened a little. The blonde curved her lips into a smile and then cupped the cold beverage with her hands.

“Thanks, Jade.” Val said, and then leaned back and felt Matt’s arm around her.

“You look great, Jade. Seriously.” Matt told her, patting the spot next to him, as the brunette plumped down.

“Thanks, Matt.” Jade smiled, and then grabbed the bottle, ready to refill her glass.

“I wanna do shots!” Lea all but whined, as she placed her head in Lacey’s lap, not caring that she was interrupting the intimate moment Lacey and Johnny were sharing.

“Do you have more booze, Sanders?” Lacey asked, running her fingers through Lea’s hair.

“That’s a stupid question, Lacey!” Val chuckled, and then leaned into Matt’s side.

“Of course we do!” Matt reassured her. “What do you want?”

“Vodka!” Lea smirked sheepishly, looking ridiculously alike her boyfriend.

“Zack, can you show her?” the singer asked, too comfortable in his seat to move.

“Come on, Lea!” Zack brought his big palms towards the woman, and practically lifted her up from the couch, finally giving Johnny and Lacey their time back, as Zack and Gena guided the drunk lady towards more liquor.

Jade chuckled at the sight of her friend, as it had been a rather long time since she’d seen them this drunk. The brunette leaned back in the couch, soon joined by Michelle, who was determined to get on Lea’s level throughout the night.

“It’s good to see that Jimmy found himself someone who likes alcohol just as much as he does.” the brunette mumbled to her friend, who only chuckled back.

“Tell me about it!” Michelle cracked.

“They’re awful like that!” Val let out, shaking her head at the sight of Jimmy, who had practically fallen asleep in the middle of the living room, the man bringing his legs up to his stomach, meanwhile a soft snorting sound caught their ears.

“Matt…” Val sighed. “He’s gonna throw up. I’m not cleaning up anything tonight.” the blonde announced to her husband.

“You don’t know that, sis!” Michelle argued, to which her twin only cocked her eyebrows at.

“Oh, but we do!” Matt snorted. “I’ve been touring way too much with this fucker to believe anything else.”

“I’ll take him.” Jade volunteered, being reminded of her old days in high school, were she had always been the sober one who had to take care of Jimmy.

“You’re a sweetheart, Jade.” Valary smiled gently at her, and then snuggled into Matt’s side.

The brunette left her seat, abandoning her drink, meanwhile she padded towards the drummer, kneeling before him and gently shaking him with a light hand.

“Jim. Come on.” she voiced softly.

Jimmy shifted his position, trying to snuggle closer to the floor, as he refused to acknowledge her appearance.

“Jimmy…” Jade muttered, this time grabbing a firmer hold of him and really trying to wake him up.

“I can’t get up.” Jimmy responded, his eyes still shut and drool peeking out from the tiny gap between his lips.

“Let’s go to the toilet.” the woman suggested, using all of her strength as she pulled the man from the floor.

“I’m already dizzy!” Jimmy half-moaned at her, as she grabbed his hands in hers and made him stand up, soon realizing that the man would collapse on top of the floor during any second.

“Let me help you with that.” Brian urged, a chuckle leaving his lips at the idea of Jade dragging Jimmy upstairs.

“Thank you.” Jade smiled at the guitarist, who grabbed a hold of his mate, making the job a little easier for the brunette, as the two of them pulled their friends upstairs.

“Even after all these years…” Jade chuckled, shaking her head, as they finally reached the bathroom, where Jimmy simply collapsed, the side of his face hitting the cold marvel floor first.

“What do you expect? Honestly.” Brian shook his head, and watched as the brunette kneeled down, her bare knees touching the floor, meanwhile she pulled Jimmy towards the toilet.

“Sweetie, come on.” she mumbled to him, dragging her long fingers through Jimmy’s dark hair.

His hands circled around the toilet, the man holding on for dear life, as he bended over and allowed a growling sound leave his lips.

“Oh, God…” Jade wrinkled her nose, not wanting to look down, as she saw how Brian was enjoying the show from the door entrance.

The guitarist had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and the entire scene in front of his eyes. Brian looked at how Jade held unto Jimmy’s body, the scenario reminding him of high school, as something pinched his stomach.

Why did he let go of her?

He had never truly asked himself that question before. After high school he had just realized that the two of them wouldn’t work it out, and the new life he earned after Avenged blew up introduced him to other women – women who didn’t want a relationship, but just a piece of him for one night.
For many years the guitarist had been convinced that this was how it was supposed to be. Jade was supposed to be a high school sweetheart, and she was supposed to be the woman he never touched again. However the idea of never touching her again truly bugged him. It annoyed him that he couldn’t re-live their high school memories again, and he had no idea why.

Am I in love with her?

The guitarist shook his head, unable to take himself seriously with the thoughts that occurred his head. He couldn’t be in love with Jade after everything that had happened.

“Bri?” Jade asked, looking up at him.

“Mhh?” Brian snapped out of his own thoughts.

“Can you get him a glass of water?”

“Sure thing!”

Brian soon emerged downstairs again. He passed Michelle in the hall, which had just grabbed her purse and keys from the counter. He noticed her silhouette from the kitchen, as the woman hugged her sister, leaving a kiss on her cheek, before she said goodbye to Matt.

He grabbed a glass of water, his earlier thoughts returning to him, as he walked towards the stairs again. What if he was in love with Jade? What if he was meant to be with her, despite how horrible they had treated their friend?

What if we belong together?

Brian shook his head again. The two of them couldn’t be together after everything that had happened, and he was convinced that Jade didn’t feel that way either.

But what if she did?

The guitarist wanted to command the voice inside his head to shut up. He wanted to drink away the thought that kept bugging him all the way into the bathroom again, where he found Jade, who was now leaning into the wall.

“He passed out.” she chuckled, her soft laughter sending butterflies straight into his stomach.

“Oh.” Brian let out, too astonished by his own thoughts to say anything else.

The brunette got up from the floor, the end of her dress rolling up a little, exposing more of her delicate thighs, before she straightened it out.

You don't know if she's into you unless you try, he thought.

Fuck this.

Just as Jade opened her mouth, Brian grabbed a hold of her, his palm landing at the lower back of her dress, meanwhile his lips were pushed against hers in a brief second.

The brunette was taken by surprise as Brian made his move, and then expected her to melt into his embrace. The sensation of his hand was burning against her back, almost like she was convinced that it would leave a mark, before she pushed him away with all of her strength.

Jade then glared at him rather angrily, and before she managed to rethink anything, her hand collided with the side of his face in one angry slap.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she practically shouted at him, shoving Brian away and then slipping passed him, her heels drumming angrily as she headed towards the stairs.

Great move, dude.

Jade was mad. Completely beyond furious and shaken by anger, as she stormed downstairs, ready to grab her belongings and head home. She had no idea how Brian could do that after everything that had happened. She had no idea what was going on inside his head, or if something was going on at all.
Just as the brunette was about to reach the kitchen, she bumped into someone, her mind going through another veil of shock, as she soon frowned at whatever she had crashed into.

“Jade?” Zack asked, quickly noticing the glare on her face. “Are you okay?”

“Perfect!” Jade all but snapped back, and then snatched her purse. “I’m going home.”

“Jade… You know I don’t buy that shit,” Zee told her, and caught her wrist in his hand before she managed to walk passed him. “Talk to me.”

His voice was soft and his green eyes were filled with genuine concern that brought tears to her eyes. Jade hated herself as the tears became heavy by every second that went by. She hated that Brian had made her so angry that words failed her and her body was unable to hide it.

“Brian kissed me.”