It was an late morning in Huntington Beach and the sun was already up in the sky, with no track of a cloud and the day seemed to be an extraordinary hot. Nevertheless, people were in a high spirits, enveloped in Christmas mood.
Although the day only started, everyone wanted the Christmas Eve to come faster, so they could spend the peaceful evening with their beloved ones.
Valary was smiling warmly form ear to ear, as she was putting on the make-up. She had a perfect Christmas gift for her boyfriend and she couldn't wait to put it under a Christmas Tree.
As she took one last glance at hers reflection in the mirror, she excited the bathroom with a content look on her face. She quietly opened the door and silently slipped into the room to grab a purse.
Another warm smile crept on her face as she saw her boyfriend peacefully sleeping in a bed, clutching a pillow with a drool. This was one of those cute moments of which Matt would be really embarrassed. Knowing her boyfriend, he would probably deny everything, just to keep his reputation.
She grabbed the purse off of the armchair and before leaving a room, planted a soft kiss on Matt's cheek. The guy smiled, showing his adorable dimples and exhaled deeply, still in his sleep.
Valary locked the front door and walked up to her Hummer. Climbing inside the enormous car and starting it, she couldn't help but get second-thoughts. What if the present won't be that perfect after all?
"That would never happen." she said to herself, shaking off the bad thoughts.
She turned on the radio, looking for a rock station. When she found what she was looking for, she backed away from the driveway and drove off to the direction of the mall.
She still needed to do a last-minute food shopping, to be absolutely content. She had a perfect Christmas Eve dinner planed out and she wanted it to happen no matter what.
'Hopefully, everything will turn out great' she thought, as she was driving down the streets of Huntington.
********************
Matt woke up a little bit after midday, still feeling like shit. He and his best friends had a little 'guys-night-out' before the Christmas and they ended up all getting hammered.
He wobbled down the stairs to get some Advil for his splitting headache. Everytime after those kind of nights out, he told himself that he won't get wasted next time, but those promises always flew through the window, when Brian started ordering Absinthe.
He opened one of the cabinets in the kitchen and took two pills. He took out a ice-cold water out of the fridge and popped pills into his mouth, hoping that the headache will stop soon.
Before heading up the stairs to get dressed, he made himself a sandwich for breakfast. He wasn't a very good cook. The last time he tried to make an omelet... Well, let just say, it was as black as coal.
He climbed up the stairs and entered the bathroom to have a shower. Swallowing the last piece of sandwich, he got out of his boxers and climbed into the shower, only to have his whole body drenched by coldest water.
"Fuck." he muttered, jumping out of the shower and searching for a towel. That definitely did woke him up. He left the water running, so that it could get a bit warmer. As he grabbed a white towel, he spotted a suspicious little box under the sink, in a cabinet, which door's were ajar.
"Valary, you should find a better hiding place than that." he chuckled, shaking his head. Even tho' he was twenty-six, he couldn't help, but let his inner child take the control of his action. He crept up to the sink and was about to bed and peek into the box, but his cell phone rang in another room, which scared the shit out of him.
He quickly wrapped the towel around his torso and jogged to the bedroom to answer.
"Good morning, Sunshine!" a girly voice squeaked from the other end of the phone, making Matt's headache come back.
"Brian, I swear to God, if you'll ever make that annoying voice again, when I'm hangover..."
"Yeah, yeah..." Brian laughed it off, sounding way to cheery. "Anyways, since the girls both of the girls are out, how 'bout you and me have some decent lunch, not a amateur made sandwich, eh?" he suggested.
"Sure, I'll see you in half an hour at IHOP." Matt said and was about to hang up, when Brian spoke again.
"Make it an hour. I need to get ready."
"FIne. See ya." Matt hung up, rolling his eyes. Sometimes he got thinking, which one is the girl in Brian's and Michelle's relationship. 'Cause Brian seemed to take a hell of a lot more time to get ready than a normal girl.
Matt got back to the shower, a secret box disappeared out of his mind already. The water was heated up and Matt dropped the towel, stepping into the shower, under the cascade of a warm water.
********************
"A bottle of wine would be nice, too" Valary said to herself, as she was pushing a cart full of groceries, through the supermarket.
"You should take this one. It's amazing." Michelle handed her the bottle of red wine, smiling. Valary called up her sister not long after she entered the mall, because she needed someone to keep her mind off the scary thoughts she was still having.
"Thanks." Valary said, carefully putting the bottle into the cart. Michelle gave her a weird look, which Valary didn't see.
"Okay. What's wrong?" Michelle stopped her twin sister in the middle of the aisle, looking rather worried.
"I'm fine. Why do you think something's wrong?" Valary brushed off the looks her sister was giving and continued on pushing the cart.
"Well, first of all, you never trust my liquor choice. Secondly, you've grabbed the wrong products a couple of times." she said, following Valary closely.
"I'm just a bit distracted by all the Christmas rush." Valary shrugged, glancing at the shopping list.
"Distracted my ass..." Michelle muttered, letting it go. She knew something was up, but she also knew her sister. And if she didn't want to talk about it, she won't, no matter how much you'll try to get anything from her.
Valary wanted to tell her sister, what was bugging her, but she thought it was the best to keep this thing for her self. It was not that she didn't trust her sister, but Michelle was always the more gossip girl. She might accidentally tell someone and that was the last thing Valary wanted.
"So, what are your plans for Christmas?" Valary asked, desperately wanting to change a subject.
"Uhm, I don't really know. Brian has some 'surprise' for me, but I don't trust him. You know how he is - most of his surprises are... Well, unsuccessful." she laughed, lightening up Valary's mood a bit.
"You mean, like the last year?" Valary remembered last Christmas' surprise.
"Exactly." Chelle smirked. "He got dressed as Zoro and he got me this kinky dress, too. But he ended up drunk, before we got into any action. And he even forgot to buy any protection." she laughed, recalling one of the unsuccessful Brian's attempts.
"That sounds just like Brian." Valary joined in.
"Yeah, we don't need any little Brians of Chelles running around yet." Michelle joked.
"Yeah, you're right." Valary agreed, somewhat sadly.
********************
"So, guys, are you down with the offer?" band's manager asked the guys.
All of the Avenged members were currently at the Warner Bros. headquarters, having an emergency meeting. It was rather rare to have these kind of meetings, especially during the holidays.
Everyone looked at Matt, waiting for his thoughts. Everyone's thoughts were equally important in the band's decisions and there was no leader, but Matt always had a say, that affected the other's opinion. And this was one of those times.
Matt exhaled deeply. He knew, that this was unexpected for any of the guys, but they just couldn't say no. This was their job and they had to do it. Even tho' they wanted to have a peaceful holidays with their families.
"We'll take it." Matt finally said, the rest of the guys agreeing, too.
"Great! I'll tell 'Papa Roach' that you are in." Gary smiled, grabbing his cell phone. "See you guys tomorrow!"
The guys said their goodbyes and left the conference room in cheery mood.
"This is so cool man!" Jimmy draped his arm around grinning Johnny's shoulders. "We're gonna tour with Papa Roach!"
"Yeah! One more great tour!" Johnny cheered along with Jim.
"You think, girls will come with us again?" Zacky asked, taking out a cancer stick as they left the building.
"I doubt, man." Brian chuckled as he lit his own cigarette. "The last time girls were on tour, they were grossed by our living style."
"Yeah, I remember Leana ranting non-stop about the nasty bathroom and lack of real food. " Jimmy laughed.
"And the bumpy night sleeps..." Johnny added, remembering Lacey's whining.
"You forgot fucking loud moans and groans all night, when Brian was banging Chelle." Jimmy added, sending a smirk towards Brian. He only shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey, what can I say, when Synyster Gates wants it, Synyster Gates has to get it..." he added cockily, puffing out a smoke.
The guys were joking around, remembering the old times, while Matt was thinking how he should break the news for Valary. He knew, she'll be upset. Or even angry about this decision. But it was his job, and he loved doing it.
"Hey, how 'bout we headed to the bar for a bit?" Brian suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. The guys laughed at his antics, but agreed nevertheless.
********************
The red candles, that were situated in the middle of the nicely made up table, were almost burt to nothing, as Valary was sitting in a dim light, waiting for Matt to come home. The food was cold and the bottle of wine she brought earlier was already empty.
She glanced through the window, hopping to see Matt's car pull up in the driveway, but no such luck. She couldn't believe, that Matt would do this to her. He promised to spent the Christmas Eve with her. He promised to get back soon, as she called three four hours ago. But he didn't.
Her plan of making this evening special failed. She wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend at least on Christmas holidays, because he was constantly on road for past couple of years.
She missed his smile. She missed his touch. She missed falling asleep and waking up in his strong arms. She missed his presence. The only thing she asked, was to spend a little bit time with her love on a Christmas Eve. Just this. Nothing more or less. But even this wasn't meant to happen.
She stood up, putting the candle light out. She was instantly greeted by the darkness as she blew the candles. Suddenly, a car's lights emerged through the windows, as familiar car pulled up the driveway.
The front door opened rather loudly as buzzed Matt stepped inside. He didn't saw Valary, now standing in the archway, her arms crossed on her chest. He took off his shoes and locked the door quietly.
He entered the hall and he immediately spotted the beautifully set table, with tasty-looking dinner, red wine and candles. A soft smile crept on his face, but immediately was replaced with a frown. He was too late.
"Hi, Matt." Valary greeted him, making Matt jump ten feet up into the sky.
"Oh my God, babe, don't scare me like that!" he tried to joke, but a hard look on Valary's face made him shut up.
"You're mad, aren't you." Matt stated, coming closer to Valary. He came behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, putting his chin on her delicate shoulder.
"I am, Matt." she said with the same cold expression. But she couldn't stay angry on him for long. She loved him too much.
"I see what you did there. And I'm so so sorry for not coming home earlier." he said sweetly into her ear, using his charm to get away from trouble.
"It's okay." she said softly. putting her hands on his and caressing it gently. "At least, you're back." she smiled, leaning back into his strong chest.
"So, what was the meeting about?" she asked casually.
"Well, we're going on tour." he replied, getting tensed. She turned around to face him, a concerned look on her face.
"But you just got from one, two weeks ago." she pouted, putting her head on his chest.
"I know, but it's job, you know?" he exhaled, his heartbeat getting faster.
"Why are you so nervous, Matt?" she looked up at him, putting her palm on his chest, where his heart was.
"We're leaving tomorrow."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Valary teared up. She couldn't believe a thing he was saying. This Christmas should have been theirs. He should have been here with her, not on the road once more.
"Baby, listen to me." Matt started as Valary broke out of his embrace, looking wide-eyed at him. "I had to say yes!" he raised his voice in panic.
"No, no, you hadn't !" she yelled. "You could declined it! And you know it, Matt!" she backed away from him.
"Valary, it's not that-"
"What, Matt? What?" she sobbed. "It's not that easy to say 'no'? Is that what you wanted to say?" she wiped the tears, but they kept on coming.
"Valary, don't you start." he said angrily. He was hoping, that she'll understand him, that she'll support him. "It's my job! I'm doing this, because I love it!" he shouted, anger running through his veins.
"I see now..." Valary laughed out dryly. "I'm not important, huh?"
"I have never said that!" Matt yelled out, stepping closer to his girlfriend.
"I want to spend some time with you, Matt, because I love you!" she screamed at him, tears running freely. "But instead of being with me, you run off on tour, because you love doing it. Then, I guess, you don't love me, because you can't be a one God damned minute with me!" she sobbed loudly, covering her eyes.
She never thought, this Christmas Eve will end up like that. He comes home and tells her, that he was leaving on tour the next morning. And then, tells that he loves doing it, but he can't spend a decent hour with his girlfriend. She felt betrayed.
"You know what?" he asked rhetorically, sarcasm dripping from his words. "You're right! You're not important at all!" he spat out, fed up with Valary's accusations and shit. He was so angry and disappointed, that he couldn't think straight. But as soon as he saw the expression on his girlfriend's face, the whole anger vanished in a blink of an eye.
"Y-you what?" she stammered out, stunned.
"Valary, baby, I didn't mean it." he said softly, coming closer. She held up her hand, in order to stop Matt. He did. He stopped in font of her, his eyes tearing up. He messed up. And he'll pay the price.
Valary took out the mysterious box out of the cupboard., that Matt saw in the bathroom's cabinet, and threw it on the kitchen table emotionlessly.
"Merry Christmas, Matt." she said coldly and walked out of the kitchen, going upstairs.
Matt groaned out loudly and punched the wall hard, mad at himself. He fucking blew it. He said the things he never wanted even to think of saying. He turned around and took the box with shaking hands. He ripped the wrapping paper off and opened the box.
There was a white stick laying in it. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why Valary would give him a white stick? He carefully took it out and flipped the other side. A hot tear rolled down his face as he looked at it. A tear of happiness.
There was a pink plus sign brightly standing out.
He didn't wait for anything and shoot up the stairs into the bedroom, where Valary was crying silently. He threw the pregnancy stick onto the bed and walked up to the love of his life.
The next thing she knows, Matt cups her cheeks, smashing his lips into hers, in a kiss filled with love and passion. He never though, he would be this happy in his entire life. He was going to be a dad.
"I'm so sorry, Valary." he breathed out, as they broke the kiss to catch their breaths. "I love you. I always have and always will." he wiped her tears with his thumb, getting lost in her hazel eyes.
"I love you, too." she smiled, leaning in his touch and savoring every moment. She just couldn't get mad on Matt. It was the one weakness she had. No matter how much of an asshole he was, no matter how many dumb things he did or said, she could never stay angry on him for long.
"Come with me." he said suddenly. "I know, you hate touring, but please, come with me." he begged her. She bit her bottom lip, to stop the smile that threatened to spread across her face. But she couldn't hold it for any longer and let out a laugh, kissing Matt slowly.
"So, is that a yes?" he grinned, showing off his dimples.
"Mhm... Daddy." she laid her head on his chest, listening for his heartbeat.
"I'm going to be a dad." he whispered to himself, wrapping his arms around Valary, a warm smile forming on his lips.
______________________________________
My first ever one-shot! Yay!
Hope you enjoyed it! And please, tell me what you think!
Merry Christmas!
Kay~