Chapter 21… Bad Timing

Jeff's POV

Melissa stayed at our house for the next few weeks. Even when we were away at a show my father insisted she stay. I'm sure she wanted nothing to do with going back to Grams' house. Of course we all attended the funeral, Matt and I never left Melissa's side. I could only imagine how hard this must have been on her. The 3 real family members she had were gone. She still had a few aunts and cousins in Massachusetts, but she never really got along with them. I wanted to help Melissa get through all of this, but there was nothing that could be done.

Christmas had come and gone. It was New Year's Eve. Melissa had decided to throw a party at what used to be Grams' house, but was now her house legally. We had a huge bash to try and clear Melissa's mind. There were tons of people and plenty of alcohol.

"Melissa are you ok?" I said knocking on her door. The party was all downstairs, but I had seen her retreat upstairs just moments ago.

"Yeah Jeff I'm fine… just go back to the party I'll be right down." I could here her trying to fight back tears. I knew her well enough to know she was not fine.

"I'm coming in ok?" I said as I walked into her room.

Her face was smeared with makeup. All the tears had washed makeup down her beautiful face. I sat down on the bed near her. She curled up into my side and I held her close. I still loved this girl, but I knew her heart belonged to my brother.

I let her cry until she had fallen asleep. Looking at the time we had been up here for a couple of hours. I laid her down on her bed and went to return to the party.

"Jeffy stay with me please. I don't want to be alone." She whispered. I could tell she was exhausted.

"Ok." I replied back to her.

I removed my shoes and lay down next to her. She pulled the blankets up to cover us and snuggled up close to me. The warmth of her body next to mine put me fast asleep.

Matt's POV

It had been hours since I had seen Melissa and Jeff. I knew that as much as she had wanted this party, she was honestly in no mood to be partying. I went upstairs to look for her. My heart stopped at the sight. I had worried for years now that I broke her heart when I chose not to talk about the kiss we shared. I thought that our kiss however short and insignificant at the time meant she had felt the same way as me all those years. Just the other day when she called me from school she said she loved me. In all the years we had been friends those words were never spoken between us. Yet here in front of me I see something very different.

I always thought she loved Jeff and I was right. They had left the party and were here in each other's arms safe and sound from the outside world. I had hoped when she was done with school she would move home and we could be together. In the years we had been friend neither one of us had ever had a girlfriend or boyfriend nor did go on dates with anyone. Jeff however had another girl in his arms each night. How could I let her get wrapped up in all of that?

She was no longer a little girl though. I could no longer protect her. If he is the one she wants then so be it. Who am I to tell my best friend she can't be with my brother.

As I stared at the two of them for what felt like hours, but only a few seconds had passed.

"Matty?" Melissa whispered half asleep.

"What?" I said with harshness in my voice.

"I need you. Come here please."

I wanted to laugh in her face. I wanted her to see that she couldn't just stomp on my heart and then ask me to play big brother like I always had with her. But I couldn't be mean to her. No matter what pain she may cause me I couldn't think of not having her in my life.

"What do you need Melissa?" I said, trying to hold back some of the hatred in my voice this time.

"Matty come here please, come sit with me." She begged.

How could I go and sit with her in the bed she just did god knows what with my brother in.

"Umm Melissa I don't think that's a good idea."

"Matty what are you talking about? What's wrong with you?" She began talking louder. Then as if she was reading my mind she yelled at me. "Matthew Moore Hardy, you had better not be thinking what I think you're thinking cause I will kick your ass."

I went to plead my argument, but then Jeff woke up and looked around the room. It only took him seconds to put together what Melissa said and the way I looked to know what I was thinking.

"Dude seriously you don't even think that me and Melissa hooked up!" he scolded me.

"I'm sorry… it's just that I came in here… and your two were… and I…" I couldn't even make sense of my own thought right now.

Melissa jumped out of bed and ran over to me. She grabbed me and held me close. Before she pulled away she whispered in my ear.

"You'll always be my number #1 Matt." She said then kissed my cheek lightly.

"I'm sorry guys I don't know what I was thinking." I apologized to the both of them.

"No problem man I mean Melissa is drop dead gorgeous and all, but she's like a sister to me." Jeff said to me.

I knew part of him still loved her, but maybe he spoke the truth. Maybe the love he once had for her was now an innocent love.

Melissa's POV

"Ditto goes for me!" I said.

At one point in time I had loved both of those boys equally and I couldn't tell which one I loved and which one I was in love with, but I knew the truth now. The love I had for Jeff was the same love I had to Shannon. It was genuine, but innocent. The love I had for Matt was much more than that. When I was near Matt I sometimes felt like my heart was going to jump right out of my chest. I was madly in love with Matt and it was becoming more and more obvious as the years passed.

"Is everyone gone yet?" I asked.

"Shannon and Crystal are asleep on the couch, but other than that everyone else went home." Matt said to me. I could tell he had calmed down now.

"Well I'm headed home. I got to help dad in the morning. You gonna stay here with Mel?" Jeff asked Matt.

"Yeah if she wants me to stay here." Matt said, posing the statement more as a question.

"Yeah I'd like it if you could stay with me."

"Alright well I'll see you guys tomorrow." Jeff said giving me a kiss on the cheek and hugging Matt before he left the room leaving Matt and I alone.

Author's note: I love awkward moments in a story Thank you all for reading! Please review! xoxo Melissa