Chapter 22
The next couple of days were quite uneventful compared to the previous two! Things seemed to be on an even keel between Jeff & I, for now anyway! The situation between Jeff & Matt, however, hadn't improved! Matt speant a lot of time working on his house, alone & Jeff just didn't even mention his name! One day when Jeff & Gilbert had taken Michael into town I decided to go & see Matt while the coast was clear to try & see if I could get to the bottom of this mess! He was working at the house as usual so I thought I'd take him some lunch as an excuse to try & talk to him. "Hey what brings you here?!" He said, surprised to see me. "Oh well someone has to look after you while Amy's away!" I said handing him his lunch. "Oh thanks Gem! You're an angel!" He said, kissing my forehead, "And here was me thinking you'd come to help me plaster those walls!" He laughed & we sat down on the grass. "Well I'd help you know I would, but you don't want the place to fall down around your ears do ya?!" I laughed. "So when's amy due back from work?" "Tomorrow." He said, with a mouthful of food. "I was hoping to get the plastering done before she came home, but it's not looking hopeful!" "Not on your own anyway huh?!" He nodded, "Yeah I guess." "Listen Matt, is it me? Have I done something to upset you?" "What? No! Don't be crazy Gemma!!" "Well then what is it? What's goin' on with you & Jeff?" "I honestly don't know...he's changed that's all! I can't seem to reason with him or talk to him...I don't like fighting with him any more that you like to see us fight! He's my brother & I love him, but I just don't like him very much sometimes." He carried on eating. "What happened in New York?" I said, remembering what I'd over heard in the kitchen when they were arguing. He stopped with a sandwich half-way to his mouth. "What d'ya mean?" "Exactly that! What happened when you guys were in New York?" He looked away. "Nothin happened! We worked, went to bed, worked again & came home...that was about it!" "Maybe you did!" I said quietly. I had a knot in my stomach the size of a baseball, it was that feeling you get when you really don't want to hear something, but at the same time you HAVE to know! I considdered dropping the subject for my own sake but my mouth seemed to refuse to shut the hell up! "I want to know Matt! What happened? Did you guys fight? What was it?" "What's this obsession with New York all of a sudden?" "I know something went on there & it's something I have a feeling I need to know about!" Matt put down the box that his lunch was in & sighed. "Don't make me do this Gem!" "Do what?! Matt come on!!" I was now starting to panick! He shook his head & rubbed his face, looking up at the sky. "Look Gemma it was nothing ok? Just forget about it! I really don't want to talk about it!" "So it was something then?" I hung my head & said exactly what was on my mind. "He slept with someone didn't he?" Matt stood up. "I have to get back to work or this will never be finished." He started to walk away. "TELL ME MATT! DON'T WALK AWAY!" I shouted & folowed him. I turned him around to face me, the tears welling up in my eyes. "Tell me please!" I whispered trying not to cry. He didn't say a word, he just hung his head & nodded. My stomach churned as if I was going to be sick! I bit on my l ip determined not to cry. "Who? I mean someone from work or what?" "No." I nodded. I knew that meant it had to be a fan, well a groupie to be precise. Some girl he'd never see again & probably wouldn't recognise if he did! Some girl that was now bragging to all her friends about how she bagged Jeff Hardy the wrestler in his hotel room! Some silly little girl who was sitting at home thinking it had actually meant something!! Some girl who had no idea what she'd just done to me! "Ok!" I said & walked away. "Gemma wait!" Matt came after me. "Please listen to me before you do anything...just hear me out ok?!" "Sure." He put his hands on my shoulders. "I'm not making excuses for him ok? What he did was....well it was wrong, but you guys weren't together then, just think about it!" "So that's ok then Matt huh?!" "No it isn't ok!" He put a hand to his forehead, "Look I tried to explain to you what he was like when you left yeah? I.........I think you comming back, everything that happened in such a short time, it just made him freak out again a little that's all! I'm not saying it's right.......why do you think we've been arguing all this time? I don't agree with what he did! I don't fully understand why he did it but I know in his mind at the time it seemed to be the thing to do!" He was frantically trying to stick up for his younger brother without offending me, any other time it would have been funny! Matt was a great guy, he didn't want anyone to get hurt! He looked me straight in the eyes, "Gemma he'll never forgive me if you walk away again! Never!" He looked desperate. "I'm not going anywhere." "What?" "Like you said, it happened before we were together so I guess it's none of my damn business is it?" I snapped. "Don't be like this Gem! I know he loves you! You & Michael are the world to him now, you two are his everything!" "Yeah when it suits him Matt!" I said, still trying to force my tears back. "One minute he loves me & the next...I don't know where the fuck I stand with him!" I bit my lip. "What's to say he won't do it again?" "I don't know the answer to that. I don't think he will, not now! He wouldn't risk losing you!" "Oh really?" "He's alot of things Gemma but he's not stupid." "No he's not stupid, I'm the fucking stupid one!! Stupid for ever comming back to this shit hole town! Stupid for ever thinking we could work it out! Stupid for ever falling in love with the bastard in the first place!!" I shouted & I couldn't hold my tears back any longer. "Well I won't argue with you on that last part!" Matt said as he held me & I sobbed into his chest. "What am I gonna do? I thought everything would get better once he knew the truth about Mike, but it just seems to be getting worse & worse!" "Hey! Hey come on! it's not all bad is it?" He stroked my hair as he held me tightly, "Look what you guys have....you have Michael together! He's a beautiful little boy.........see Jeff did do something right! Personally I didn't think he had it in him, but I guess seeing is believeing!!" He smiled & I had to smile with him. "We'll work it out.." he said as he rocked me gently, "...Just like we always do!" "I love him so much Matt! I want this to work more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, but how can I trust him now? How can I sit home & let him go away to work every damn week if I think he's screwing around? It'll destroy us!" "Come to Ohio!" Matt said out of the blue. "What?" "Come to Ohio! Be a family Gemma! You, Jeff & Michael!" "I can't Matt! Adam....." "FUCK ADAM! Fuck the lot of them!!! Come with us & show them all that you don't give a shit! All you need to worry about now is the three of you, no one else should matter!" He held me at arms length so we were face to face,"I want this to work for you two! I don't want you to go away any more than Jeff does! I love you & I have a nephew that I'm head over heels for! I want this to wrok more than you can imagine, so does Dad & so does everyone in your family! We are all here for you guys whatever it takes ok?" I looked into his eyes, "I'm so scared Matt!" "Don't be scared, be proud, be strong, but don't be scared! It'll be fine! You come with us & it will be a chance for Jeff to show his son what he does! He'll be stoked! Come with us yeah?" I thought about it for a few seconds & then nodded. "Ok...yeah, we'll come to Ohio!" Matt wiped the tears from my face & smiled! "We'll do it toghether ok?" I nodded. "I'm gonna sort all this shit out with Jeff, clear the air." "Yeah I hope so Matt!" I let out a laugh. "What's so funny?" "I'm just thinking, if any woman comes near him when we're in Ohio I might just have to show her exactly who I grew up with!" We laughed. "Yep, a Hardy in all but the name huh?!" Matt's expression changed suddenly. "Just rmemeber....well there will be fans there y'know....I mean all innocent n' everything!" "Relax Hardy! I'm not gonna do a Lara Croft on a bunch of teenagers wanting autographs!!" "Yeah well you'd better not or you'll have me to deal with young lady!" He playfully nudged me & I smiled. "Amy's lucky to have you! I think I fell in love with the wrong brother! I should've listened to all the other girls at school, it would've been easier!" "Yeah except for one thing?" "What's that?" "I smell worse than Jeff!!" With that Matt pushed me over & tried to rub his sweaty arm pit in my face as I screamed for mercy!!
The next couple of days were quite uneventful compared to the previous two! Things seemed to be on an even keel between Jeff & I, for now anyway! The situation between Jeff & Matt, however, hadn't improved! Matt speant a lot of time working on his house, alone & Jeff just didn't even mention his name! One day when Jeff & Gilbert had taken Michael into town I decided to go & see Matt while the coast was clear to try & see if I could get to the bottom of this mess! He was working at the house as usual so I thought I'd take him some lunch as an excuse to try & talk to him. "Hey what brings you here?!" He said, surprised to see me. "Oh well someone has to look after you while Amy's away!" I said handing him his lunch. "Oh thanks Gem! You're an angel!" He said, kissing my forehead, "And here was me thinking you'd come to help me plaster those walls!" He laughed & we sat down on the grass. "Well I'd help you know I would, but you don't want the place to fall down around your ears do ya?!" I laughed. "So when's amy due back from work?" "Tomorrow." He said, with a mouthful of food. "I was hoping to get the plastering done before she came home, but it's not looking hopeful!" "Not on your own anyway huh?!" He nodded, "Yeah I guess." "Listen Matt, is it me? Have I done something to upset you?" "What? No! Don't be crazy Gemma!!" "Well then what is it? What's goin' on with you & Jeff?" "I honestly don't know...he's changed that's all! I can't seem to reason with him or talk to him...I don't like fighting with him any more that you like to see us fight! He's my brother & I love him, but I just don't like him very much sometimes." He carried on eating. "What happened in New York?" I said, remembering what I'd over heard in the kitchen when they were arguing. He stopped with a sandwich half-way to his mouth. "What d'ya mean?" "Exactly that! What happened when you guys were in New York?" He looked away. "Nothin happened! We worked, went to bed, worked again & came home...that was about it!" "Maybe you did!" I said quietly. I had a knot in my stomach the size of a baseball, it was that feeling you get when you really don't want to hear something, but at the same time you HAVE to know! I considdered dropping the subject for my own sake but my mouth seemed to refuse to shut the hell up! "I want to know Matt! What happened? Did you guys fight? What was it?" "What's this obsession with New York all of a sudden?" "I know something went on there & it's something I have a feeling I need to know about!" Matt put down the box that his lunch was in & sighed. "Don't make me do this Gem!" "Do what?! Matt come on!!" I was now starting to panick! He shook his head & rubbed his face, looking up at the sky. "Look Gemma it was nothing ok? Just forget about it! I really don't want to talk about it!" "So it was something then?" I hung my head & said exactly what was on my mind. "He slept with someone didn't he?" Matt stood up. "I have to get back to work or this will never be finished." He started to walk away. "TELL ME MATT! DON'T WALK AWAY!" I shouted & folowed him. I turned him around to face me, the tears welling up in my eyes. "Tell me please!" I whispered trying not to cry. He didn't say a word, he just hung his head & nodded. My stomach churned as if I was going to be sick! I bit on my l ip determined not to cry. "Who? I mean someone from work or what?" "No." I nodded. I knew that meant it had to be a fan, well a groupie to be precise. Some girl he'd never see again & probably wouldn't recognise if he did! Some girl that was now bragging to all her friends about how she bagged Jeff Hardy the wrestler in his hotel room! Some silly little girl who was sitting at home thinking it had actually meant something!! Some girl who had no idea what she'd just done to me! "Ok!" I said & walked away. "Gemma wait!" Matt came after me. "Please listen to me before you do anything...just hear me out ok?!" "Sure." He put his hands on my shoulders. "I'm not making excuses for him ok? What he did was....well it was wrong, but you guys weren't together then, just think about it!" "So that's ok then Matt huh?!" "No it isn't ok!" He put a hand to his forehead, "Look I tried to explain to you what he was like when you left yeah? I.........I think you comming back, everything that happened in such a short time, it just made him freak out again a little that's all! I'm not saying it's right.......why do you think we've been arguing all this time? I don't agree with what he did! I don't fully understand why he did it but I know in his mind at the time it seemed to be the thing to do!" He was frantically trying to stick up for his younger brother without offending me, any other time it would have been funny! Matt was a great guy, he didn't want anyone to get hurt! He looked me straight in the eyes, "Gemma he'll never forgive me if you walk away again! Never!" He looked desperate. "I'm not going anywhere." "What?" "Like you said, it happened before we were together so I guess it's none of my damn business is it?" I snapped. "Don't be like this Gem! I know he loves you! You & Michael are the world to him now, you two are his everything!" "Yeah when it suits him Matt!" I said, still trying to force my tears back. "One minute he loves me & the next...I don't know where the fuck I stand with him!" I bit my lip. "What's to say he won't do it again?" "I don't know the answer to that. I don't think he will, not now! He wouldn't risk losing you!" "Oh really?" "He's alot of things Gemma but he's not stupid." "No he's not stupid, I'm the fucking stupid one!! Stupid for ever comming back to this shit hole town! Stupid for ever thinking we could work it out! Stupid for ever falling in love with the bastard in the first place!!" I shouted & I couldn't hold my tears back any longer. "Well I won't argue with you on that last part!" Matt said as he held me & I sobbed into his chest. "What am I gonna do? I thought everything would get better once he knew the truth about Mike, but it just seems to be getting worse & worse!" "Hey! Hey come on! it's not all bad is it?" He stroked my hair as he held me tightly, "Look what you guys have....you have Michael together! He's a beautiful little boy.........see Jeff did do something right! Personally I didn't think he had it in him, but I guess seeing is believeing!!" He smiled & I had to smile with him. "We'll work it out.." he said as he rocked me gently, "...Just like we always do!" "I love him so much Matt! I want this to work more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, but how can I trust him now? How can I sit home & let him go away to work every damn week if I think he's screwing around? It'll destroy us!" "Come to Ohio!" Matt said out of the blue. "What?" "Come to Ohio! Be a family Gemma! You, Jeff & Michael!" "I can't Matt! Adam....." "FUCK ADAM! Fuck the lot of them!!! Come with us & show them all that you don't give a shit! All you need to worry about now is the three of you, no one else should matter!" He held me at arms length so we were face to face,"I want this to work for you two! I don't want you to go away any more than Jeff does! I love you & I have a nephew that I'm head over heels for! I want this to wrok more than you can imagine, so does Dad & so does everyone in your family! We are all here for you guys whatever it takes ok?" I looked into his eyes, "I'm so scared Matt!" "Don't be scared, be proud, be strong, but don't be scared! It'll be fine! You come with us & it will be a chance for Jeff to show his son what he does! He'll be stoked! Come with us yeah?" I thought about it for a few seconds & then nodded. "Ok...yeah, we'll come to Ohio!" Matt wiped the tears from my face & smiled! "We'll do it toghether ok?" I nodded. "I'm gonna sort all this shit out with Jeff, clear the air." "Yeah I hope so Matt!" I let out a laugh. "What's so funny?" "I'm just thinking, if any woman comes near him when we're in Ohio I might just have to show her exactly who I grew up with!" We laughed. "Yep, a Hardy in all but the name huh?!" Matt's expression changed suddenly. "Just rmemeber....well there will be fans there y'know....I mean all innocent n' everything!" "Relax Hardy! I'm not gonna do a Lara Croft on a bunch of teenagers wanting autographs!!" "Yeah well you'd better not or you'll have me to deal with young lady!" He playfully nudged me & I smiled. "Amy's lucky to have you! I think I fell in love with the wrong brother! I should've listened to all the other girls at school, it would've been easier!" "Yeah except for one thing?" "What's that?" "I smell worse than Jeff!!" With that Matt pushed me over & tried to rub his sweaty arm pit in my face as I screamed for mercy!!