A year later; December 28th, 2014.
I sat on my knees in the cold, crunchy grass in front of Jimmy's gravestone with my boyfriend's arm around my shoulder. Even though it had been five years to the day since Jimmy's passing, it still stung like it was just yesterday. That's the funny thing about death, though; no matter how long you've been repairing, it'll still make you sad just like it happened a week before. What makes the difference is how you cope. Alcohol, drugs, friends, time.. They all have a different, lasting affect. Which one's good for who? Well, that's for you to decide. Death affects everyone in different ways, the way it affects you will depend on who you are.
Life is a blissful lie, and death is a painful truth. It's cliche, but everybody's got to die sometime. Nobody can live forever. Well, that's a lie.. No human can live forever. Legends won't ever die. The people they love, their fans, their friends, their family, as long as those people keep the legacy alive, the person will live on. Another cliche fact is that they'll live in your heart. The memories of them laughing, smiling, hugging you, comforting you, every little memory will stick. Even things you didn't think you would remember, they'll always be around.
The truth is, legends will live foREVer, if you'll let them.
"I miss him.." I murmured, seemingly to myself, reaching out to touch the chilled marble of his gravestone. Corey nodded, putting both arms around my shoulders as he gave me a soft, comforting hug from behind while giving my ear a gentle kiss. "I think I always will, but.. I'm learning that death isn't always the end of the world.." I sniffled, wiping my eye to rid myself of the hot tears that had began to surface on my lower eyelid.
"Death has a funny way of showing up when it's least wanted," Corey said, scooting up to sit next to me as he also grazed his fingertips across the lettering of Jimmy's gravestone. "I think it's done to test us, you know? To test our mental strength." I nodded, resting against his shoulder with a heaving sigh. It was cold enough outside now that my breath came in clouds. It was just three days after Christmas, and, well.. You could never have a Christmas without Jimmy.
"I just wish.. I don't know. It sounds horrible to say I wish it was someone else." I shrugged, pulling the three page note that I had written earlier from my hoodie pocket. I dug a small pocket in the ground before placing the note into it and then covering it with the spare dirt, wiping my hands on my jeans after doing so.
"It's a normal reaction." He murmured, kissing my cheek and placing his hand over mine. I shrugged, feeling the sting of tears beginning to form in my eyes. "I felt that way a lot when Paul died, you know..? I wished it was me.."
"It sounds horrible, but.. I'm glad it wasn't." I whispered, leaning against him as much as I could without making him fall over. He nodded, holding me closer with one arm. We sat like this for longer than I bothered to keep track of, before I finally stood up; he did the same, lacing his fingers through mine as he did this.
"Come on, let's go home, that new episode of Law and Order is gonna be on soon.." He said quietly, making me laugh as we slowly made our way back to his truck. I gave one last, longing glance towards Jimmy's grave, and as I did, I swear I could see the shape of a tall, lanky man standing behind it. The funny thing is... He had wings.
We arrived at home a few short minutes later, and even though I'd been living with him for six months or so, Corey's house never ceased to amaze me. His floors were done in dark cherry wood they were so shiny and spotless, I could see my reflection in each panel. His walls were stark white with black trimming on the bottom, and he had a chandelier that would make the richest man in the world jealous. There were three floors, each of which with a different design theme. The first floor was reserved for the living room and kitchen, the second was for bathrooms and the laundry room, and the top floor was for our bedroom and storage rooms.
"You want some tea, babe?" He asked quietly, and I nodded, settling myself onto the brown leather couch. I was still a little down from visiting Jimmy's grave. I wanted to see the guys today, but I didn't want to bother them with anything, so I decided to keep quiet. I still wondered how Zacky and Brian were doing, though.. We wouldn't tour again until around the middle of 2015, and that kind of upset me. I had so much fun on the bus with all the guys, including Corey; even if he did almost kill himself, and I broke Jim Root's nose, that was the funnest four months I'd ever had in my entire life. I had gotten a boyfriend out of it (an incredible one at that) and I had brought two people closer together; they ended up in a relationship, too, and I was pretty happy that it finally happened. I watched for years as those two flirted, joked and teased with each other. I just knew there was something more than friendship there.
"Hey, Corey?" I called, and he looked up as he was bringing a steaming mug of tea over to the couch. He raised his eyebrows to show that he heard me, and I cleared my throat, almost afraid to ask him. I know he wouldn't say no, but still, the anxiety of asking questions has become almost overwhelming for me. "When we go on tour next year.. D-do you wanna go with us?" I asked, wringing the bottom of my shirt nervously. He sat down next to me and placed the mug on a coaster on the coffee table (which matched the color of the hardwood floors) before he flashed that same, lovely, wide, charming smile at me. God, his smile could cure cancer and make the butterflies in my stomach dance all night.
"You think you could keep me off that bus, love?" He asked deviously, and I chuckled softly, feeling my face heat up as I looked away. Even though he and I had been dating for over a year, he still gave me butterflies. He still made me feel things that nobody else could. "Of course, I'll go with you. I love watching you perform. The only time I see you happier is when we're done, according to Brian, humping each other to death." He teased, and I laughed brightly now, holding my stomach a little as I did this. He leaned forward, giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead as I continued to giggle girlishly.
"Can we watch a movie?" I asked suddenly, and he slowly began to raise an eyebrow at the, for lack of a better word, randomness of my question.
"Well, yeah, as long as it isn't The Notebook. You remember what happened the last time we watched that." He teased, and I blushed, covering my face. A year ago was the first time he had stayed the night at my apartment, and we had watched The Notebook when he did. Everything got a little steamy, and the next morning, he had made me promise that we wouldn't watch it again for at least another two years. I, albeit stupidly, agreed, and we haven't watched it since.
"Jeez, I need a shower.." I muttered after the movie was over, and Corey laughed, keeping his arms around me; I was laid back on the couch with my head rested against the arm, and he was laying comfortably on top of me, his head on my chest and his arms around my waist. "Well, I do! I smell awful!" I joked, and he leaned up, pecking my lips once.
"Well, go take a shower, I'll tidy up a bit down here, 'mkay?" He said as he rose from his place on my body, and I nodded, getting up and making my way over to the staircase. "Hey," He called, and I turned around. "Nice ass." That made me blush as I ascended the staircase, not bothering with grabbing my clothes at the moment; I'd get them after I showered. I then made my way into the bathroom, closing the door behind me and wrangling myself out of my clothes before turning the water on. I made sure that it was scalding hot (just the way I like it) before stepping in; I leaned against the front shower wall and closed my eyes, letting the water running across the back of my head and down my back.
I thought I heard a noise, but I opened my eyes and peeked out of the shower curtain and didn't see anything, so I dismissed it as nothing and closed my eyes again, resuming the same leaning position. This always helped after visiting Jimmy's grave. The steam seemed to loosen the depressing thoughts in my head and make them drift out my ears, fading away along with every trace of water after the shower was turned off. I heaved a sigh before feeling a slight cold breeze, but I shook that off as nothing also; sometimes there was a draft in the bathroom window, and, being December, it was really fucking cold outside, so the breeze would easily be felt over the steam.
I felt a pair of arms around my waist tightly, and I gasped, nearly snapping my neck to look back at who was behind me; real shocker, it was Corey. He grinned widely, leaning forward and kissing the nape of my neck once before resting his cheek on my shoulder blade. This could only end badly, Corey following me into the shower and all.
"Hi, sexy." He muttered, pressing his hips up against my backside as much as he could. I bit my lip to hold back a moan as I hugged his arms to my waist tightly, leaning backwards to rest against him a bit as I did this. I sighed softly, and he did as well, resting his chin in the crane of my neck.
"Hi, babe.. What are you doing?" I asked, and suddenly, one of his hands was at my inner right thigh, lifting it up a small bit and making me prop my foot up on the side of the tub to keep my leg raised.
"You." He growled, making me gasp lightly as he wrapped his other hand around my male, giving me slow and gentle strokes to arouse me. "Come on, baby.." He whispered in my ear as he pumped his hand faster; my legs trembled as my mouth gaped open, strangling out a moan as he bit down on my gauged earlobe.
"J-just.. Take me, quit fucking teasing.." I snapped, making him laugh breathlessly in my ear for a second before removing his hand; I spun around, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and smashing my lips to his as he lifted me up and pinned me to the shower wall by my thighs. He quickly slid into me, and I had to break from the kiss as I threw my head back, releasing an ear-shattering moan into the air. He buried his face into my chest as he began to move his hips back and forth at a swift pace, gripping onto my backside tightly as he did this.
"Matt," He groaned into my wet skin, grazing his teeth across my upper torso as he moved faster, his hips slamming against mine roughly as he did this. "Fuck, I fucking love you.." He gasped, and I nodded, locking my fingers into his short hair as I moved my body in perfect synchronization with his.
"Corey!" I yelled girlishly, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling him closer to my body. "I-I love you too!" I managed as my head lulled to the side a bit. He laughed tauntingly, burying his face into my neck and allowing his warm breath to roll across my skin, raising the hair along my arms. He bit down on my neck, giving an incredible amount of suction and most certainly leaving a vibrant love bite.
"You like that?" He growled in my ear, and I nodded, tugging on his hair and giving soft, huffing moans with each breath. He dug his nails into my skin just the slightest bit, and I did the same to his scalp, arching my back into his greatly as I became close to my release. "Are you close, baby?" He breathed huskily, and I nodded again, almost unable to speak at the moment. I dragged my nails down to his back, leaving large red marks along the trail of where my nails had been.
"I'm.. I'm gonna.." I barely gasped before I was suddenly pushed over the edge. My back arched into him completely as I began to shudder, now gasping his name with each breath. He seemed to also reach his breaking point as his thrusts became swifter and harder, his body also shuddering equally as hard as mine. "Oh!" I shouted before I finally released myself, which apparently was enough to make Corey release, as well. After a few more thrusts to make sure we were both finished, he stopped and removed himself from me, laughing and panting softly into my skin.
"Good lord, I love you.." He moaned, and I laughed as well, my chest heaving with the effort of my labored breathing.
"I love you, too.." I murmured in reply, closing my eyes and resting my head against the shower wall. "You know, I came in here to get clean and you just made me dirtier than I was." I teased, and he gave a deep, vibrating chuckle before letting me down from the wall. Despite Corey topping occasionally, I was taller than him, so being pinned to the shower wall by someone shorter than me made me laugh.
"Well, it's my job to make a clean boy dirty, you know," He grinned, and I did as well, leaning forward and kissing his lips softly. I cupped his face in my hands as we both slowly tilted our heads, the kiss growing deeper and deeper by the second. "Y-you know," He slurred between our moving lips, and I pulled away but allowed my mouth to linger near his, raising my eyebrows. "We should probably clean up and get out. The water bill is already expensive enough." I laughed softly, nodding in agreement.
The next day, Corey left around seven in the morning without even telling me where he was going; honestly, my stomach dropped. I thought he was cheating on me, and it made me feel nauseous. Why would he possibly cheat on me? Had I been doing something wrong this entire time? Had I been too clingy? Not clingy enough? All these questions swirled in my head as I sat on the couch, sipping on a glass of cherry Coke.
Suddenly, the front door swung open, and as he saw me sitting on the couch, he blushed and looked away. That settles it, my brain taunts. He's cheating on you. I kept my eyes focused on the TV, trying to keep from breaking down right then and there. Corey knew that I had trust issues. If he wanted to be with someone else, why didn't he just say that?
"Have fun?" I finally snapped as he was clearing off the coffee table, causing him to look up at me with wide eyes. "You know, if you wanted to be with somebody else, you could have just told me that before leading me on for an entire year and a fucking half, Corey." I snapped again, and his mouth gaped open a little bit before he busted out into a fit of laughter, holding his sides as he did this. "What is so fucking funny about this?! You're cheating on me, for God's sake!"
"Baby, I'm not cheating on you. Why would I throw away a diamond just to pick up a rock?" He cupped my cheeks in his hands before kissing my forehead softly, giving me a gentle smile as he looked back down at me. "I promise, it'll make sense soon." It'll make sense soon? My brain thought. What in the world could that possibly mean?
A few weeks later, Corey and I are on our way to dinner with the rest of the guys to discuss tour arrangements, set lists, dates and everything of those sorts. He turns up the radio a little bit as HailToTheKingcomes on, and I smile, taking his free hand and lacing my fingers through it slowly. He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses it softly before resting it near the gear shifter, pulling into the parking lot in front of the small diner, where I could already see the other four sitting at a table near the front door.
"Let me get your door, baby.." He muttered softly before climbing out of the driver's side; I raised an eyebrow as he rounded the front of the car, opening my door for me and taking my hand to help me to my feet. After closing my door, I leaned up against the side of the car, and he gave me a gentle, but meaningful kiss on the lips.
"I'm not broken, Corey.." I teased, and he gave me a glowing smile before lacing his fingers through mine and leading me into the restaurant. As the guys saw us, they all stood up, coming over and giving wide hugs and cheek kisses. Brian and Zacky gave me a knowing smirk, and I raised an eyebrow as the two of them glanced back and forth between each other, then at Corey.
"It's good to see you guys.." Johnny said softly as we sat down in the two empty seats that were pulled into the table. We all ordered our food, and in no time, we were telling jokes, laughing, smiling and teasing each other.
Near the end of dinner, when everyone was full and nobody had forks in their hands, Corey stood up, clinking his fork against his glass loudly. By the time he finished doing so, he had everyone's attention, and I couldn't help but blush as he nearly forced me to my feet by tugging on my hand. Dammit, Corey! Why do you always have to make a scene?! I thought as my face practically boiled with embarrassment.
"Now, as you all know, Matt and I have been dating for about a year and a half," He called, looking over at me with warm, loving eyes and an affectionate smile. Zacky and Brian shared a look, one that literally dripped with, 'I knew it' as Corey continued. "There's something I'd like to say." He began to lower himself down onto one knee, and the entire restaurant gasped in unison with my loud squeak.
"C-Corey!" I whispered, but he shushed me with a shake of his head and a wide, loving smile. My knees felt like jelly; was he really about to propose to me?
"Matt, the past year and a half have been heaven for me. You've treated me so well and I can't ever thank you enough for that. I love rolling over in the morning and watching your eyes flutter open. I love the way you sing in the car when you think I'm not listening. I love every little thing about you, and there are not enough words in the human vocabulary to express my feelings for you." My eyes had already begun to mist up, but he didn't stop there. "You saved my life during Knotfest, and you were patient with me, waiting until I was ready for a relationship. You still give me butterflies, even to this day, and I'm so glad you're mine.."
"Corey.." I whispered, my tears now rolling freely as he pulled a small, black box from his jacket pocket; he opened it up, revealing a plain silver ring with the engravings of our anniversary and the words 'My Baby' in cursive. I gasped as I saw the ring, and he continued to smile at me, presenting the object as though his life depended on it.
"Matthew Charles Sanders," He murmured. I saw everyone leaning forward in anticipation of what was to come next. "Will you marry me?" My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe. My flowing blood roared in my eardrums as the waterworks moved faster. I was almost unable to reply as my mouth gaped open, and I covered it with my free hand.
"Yes," I barely strangled out, earning a soft, relieved laugh from Corey. "Yes!" I called louder now, and he slid the ring onto my finger, rising to his feet before smashing his lips to mine as his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. The entirerestaurant cheered as we kissed, almost as if we were sealing the deal. I was getting married. Thirty-three years old, and I was finally getting married, to the love of my life. After breaking from the kiss, Corey pressed his forehead to mine, smiling widely.
"For the record," Brian's voice called behind us, and I turned around to see him raising a glass of freshly poured red wine. "Jimmy would be extremely proud of you two." My heart broke a little bit at these words. I wanted to tell him about Corey's amazing proposal, but how could I? He was dead. I could still talk to his gravestone, though, and I would probably do that in a few days. The strange thing is, I had a funny feeling he already knew.
"I love you." I cried, burying my face in his neck as we continued to hug. The entire restaurant continued to clap and cheer, and suddenly, I didn't feel so lonely anymore. For once, I was really, super happy and nothing was going to bring me down; not a person, not a thought. I was in total bliss.
Three years later.
I felt a gentle kiss on my nose and heard a soft giggle while I was half asleep, and I opened my eyes to just barely catch a large person darting out of the room, and I then heard pounding footsteps descending the staircase.
"What..?" I murmured, sitting up in bed before climbing to my feet, slowly shuffling over to the staircase and then descending each step individually. I smelled the distinct scent of bacon and eggs wafting in from the kitchen, making me float towards the smell; as I reached the room where the delicious scent was coming from, I saw Corey at the stove flipping pancakes, and a smaller, slightly chubby, blonde haired little boy sitting on the counter next to him.
"Daddy!" The boy said before jumping down and tearing over to me before hopping up into my arms. I laughed, spinning him around a little bit before kissing his nose.
"Hi, Jimbo!" I squeaked as I placed little kisses all over his face, earning squeals from my adopted son. Yeah, that's right. Corey and I adopted a son about two years after we got married. The funny thing is, we didn't name him; his name was already James.
"Aw, look at you two," Corey said as I stepped over with little Jimmy in my arms, giving him a brief kiss on the lips, earning a squeaky, 'gross!' from our son. I laughed, kissing his forehead. "My two perfect boys." He said, flipping a pancake as he did this. I smiled, setting Jimmy up on the counter as I began to move towards the pans, when Corey swatted my hand with the slotted spatula. "Uh-uh! This is for you two! Go sit down and watch T.V. or something. I'll bring it to you in a few minutes." He scolded, and I poked my bottom lip out in a pouting face.
"Corey-"
"I'm gonna count to three, and if you two aren't out of my kitchen, you're both getting a spatula to the behind." He said, and I picked Jimmy up from the counter, raising an eyebrow and giving Corey a wide smirk. "One, two-"
"Okay, okay, we're going!" I yelled, turning and trotting out of the kitchen. Jimmy giggled as he waved at his dad over my shoulder, making me smile as we sat down on the couch to watch Spongebob. It was the episode about the Hash Slinging Slasher. It's Jimmy's favorite one; I have to admit, I laugh at it too. I've always loved Spongebob, sue me. He giggled each time Spongebob tried to say Hash Slinging Slasher and I did as well, but not at the T.V. Seeing Jimmy happy and giggling always made my heart swell with pride. He may not be biologically ours, but by God, he is ourson through and through. He was our baby. He always would be.
"Breakfast is ready, boys!" Corey called from the dining room; Jimmy and I had a race to the kitchen, and as always, he beat me. Hey, just because I'm muscular doesn't mean I can run faster than a toddler. Have you ever seen them run when they want something? They channel their Sonic The Hedgehog, that's for damn sure. "Hey, there's my little track star!" Corey teased, picking Jimmy up and putting him on his shoulders, earning a squeal from the tiny boy.
"Oh, yeah, just completely ignore me, babe. Love you too." I teased playfully, earning a wrinkle-nosed smirk from both of my boys. "Hey, don't make that face at me! I'll put you in the garbage disposal!" Corey gasped dramatically, turning away as if he was shielding our son.
"Don't talk to Jimmy like that!" He shrieked, and I laughed softly.
"I wasn't talking to him." I retorted, and we both busted into laughter; Jimmy didn't fully understand, but, hearing people laugh made him giggle like crazy. I sat him down in his toddler-designed high chair before sitting in my designated seat, and as I did, Corey brought over a plate stacked with pancakes, bacon, eggs and biscuits, and he had a glass of cherry Coke with ice in it. "Oh, honey, this looks amazing!" Years later and he still gives me butterflies like it's the first week we're together, my brain thought as he kissed my forehead, then sat a much smaller plate in front of Jimmy. There was a small pancake, a scoop of eggs, two pieces of bacon and a biscuit; he then sat a glass of orange juice down in front of him, and Jimmy clapped his hands, picking up the bacon and munching on it almost immediately after Corey sat down in front of his own plate and glass.
"I love you both." Corey said as we were eating, and I mouthed 'I love you too,' back to him across the table. Jimmy giggled and gave a toothy grin towards his dad.
"Love you too, daddy!" He squeaked, making both Corey and I almost beam with pride. We were ridiculously proud of our little boy. He was pretty developmentally advanced for his age (he was three and a half at the time) and he also had a natural talent for playing sports. Kind of like his uncle Zacky. Zacky! I wondered how he and Brian were doing.. Maybe I should call them later on and ask if they want to come over. Yeah, I think I'll do that.
Later on that day, I didn't even get a chance to call Brian; he called me, all excited and jittery. He could barely talk. I told him to come over and explain when he got here, and he agreed, hanging up without saying goodbye. Corey raised an eyebrow at me, and I laughed softly, setting my phone down on the arm of the couch before nuzzling into his shoulder a little more, playing with Jimmy's hair with my free hand.
"Bri and Zack are coming over today." I said, earning an excited squeal from Jimmy. "What, you excited to see your favorite uncles?" He nodded, and I laughed as Corey gave me a gentle peck on the cheek. I snuck a kiss to the corner of his mouth, and Jimmy stuck out his tongue to express his disgust. That reminded me of when Corey was in the hospital, and Brian was talking about Corey and I 'humping each other to death' and Johnny did the same facial expression to express his disgust at the thought of Corey and I being together.
After a while of watching T.V, the doorbell rung throughout the house; Corey sat Jimmy on my lap, kissing both of our foreheads before trotting over to open the door. I couldn't help my eyes being glued to his butt as he walked. Hey, there is no shame in admiring my husband's ass. He opened the door, and in sprung Zacky, holding out his left hand and presenting it.
"We're getting married!" He yelled, and my mouth gaped open. It's about damn time, Brian, my brain thought as he sauntered in, giving Corey a one armed-hug before he moved over to were Zacky was. He slung his arm around his new fiancé's shoulder, giving a wide smile as he did this. "He just proposed this morning, look at the ring, isn't it beautiful?!"
"Gorgeous, Zack," I laughed, and Jimmy did too, jumping down from my lap to run over to his uncles. Brian immediately picked him up, giving him repeated little pecks on the forehead as he did. Zacky began talking to him, playing with his hands a little bit as he did this, forcing little delighted squeals from Jimmy's throat.
"Maybe we should think about having kids." Brian said, smirking over at Zacky. Oh no, what have I started? I thought as the smaller guitarist looked over at Brian with wide eyes and his mouth agape. He began to stutter something, making all of us laugh; even Jimmy. It was always funny to see Zacky speechless. "I'm kidding, babe." He said again, making Zacky sigh with relief.
A year later.
I stood at the entrance to the pre-school, holding Jimmy's hand in mine tightly. I now understood the fear that parents felt when letting their children go to school on their own for the first time. I had been with Jimmy to certain classes, seeing as I was a first time parent, but this would be the first day that I would let him go on his own, to school, no less.
"You have your lunch?" I asked him, and he nodded, giving me a wide smile and holding up his Spongebob lunch box. I smiled, lowering myself down to my knees so that I was level with him, before I put my hands on his shoulders. "Tell the teacher if you need anything, okay, bubby?" I teared up a little bit. "Daddy will be here to pick you up in a few hours."
"Okay, daddy." He said before kissing my cheek and running into the building, leaving me there by myself. Corey had been waiting in the car, but apparently, he saw my distress, because he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and held me tightly as we both watched Jimmy's curly blonde hair disappear into the crowd of kids.
"He'll be fine, Matt.." He whispered softly in my ear, and I nodded, wiping away the lone tear that had made its way down my cheek. "Quit crying, you're gonna make us look more gay than we already are.." He teased quietly, and I laughed, sniffling afterwards.
"Excuse me," A female's voice said, and we turned to see a young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, with black hair that half of it was dyed red, and wide, brown eyes, almost like that of a baby deer. I recognized her from somewhere.. I just didn't know where. "You're Matt and Corey, right?" She asked, and we nodded. "Yeah, I figured.. I don't know if you remember me, but.. We met at your first meet and greet at Knotfest back in 2013. I'm Erianna Chavez." That's where I know her from!
"Oh, God, I'm sorry, hi!" I said, reaching out and shaking her hand. She shook it politely before doing the same to Corey's. "So, you have a kid that goes here?" I asked, and she nodded as a tall, well-built man, wearing an ARMY uniform, with dark-brown hair and blue eyes stepped up next to her, putting his arm around her waist, almost protectively.
"Two, actually, I have twins." She said, laughing. "This is my husband, Jon.. He came home just in time from his deployment overseas." I nodded to him, shaking his hand a bit more firmly than I had shaken hers; I had the utmost respect for anyone who's served in the military.
"Nice to meet you." Jon said firmly, shaking my hand in return before doing the same to Corey's. "I have to tell you, I'm a huge fan of you both. Not just for your music, but for having the courage to come out the way you did." I blushed, looking down at my feet and smiling for a second. "I think you know my little brother, by the way.."
"Oh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, and he nodded.
"The night that you had almost died," He nodded to Corey when he said you which made my stomach drop. I had almost completely forgotten about that. "If I'm not mistaken, a red-haired boy told you where he'd seen Corey. That was my little brother." Oh, wow.. I could definitely see the resemblance now. Even though I'd only met the boy for about 30 seconds, his face was forever burned into my mind; he had practically saved my husband's life, how could I ever forget that face?
"Well, tell your little brother I said thank you." Corey said for me, and Jon nodded.
"He learned from the best." Erianna murmured affectionately. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Jon since he walked up. You could really see the love between the two of them; it was rare to see nowadays. I've seen very few couples that shared the affectionate vibe that those two did, Corey and I being one of them. Zacky and Brian were another.
"Well, we should get going, but.. Maybe we could all hang out sometime, maybe arrange a play date for Jimmy and..?" It then struck me that I hadn't asked what her kid's names were. Wow, Matt, way to be a dickhead, I thought to myself. She smiled at me, almost as though she was reading my thoughts.
"Noel and Aveah," She said, and Jon almost seemed to swell with pride at the sound of his children's names. "Although I like to call them Double Trouble." She added, earning a playful glance from Jon. As she noticed this, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't act like you don't call them that!"
"I do." He admitted in a goofy voice, and we all laughed before shaking hands and bidding each other farewell. Corey put me into the passenger's seat of the car before he climbed into the driver's seat before he started the car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, we waved at Erianna and Jon, and they returned the gesture.
"That's crazy.." Corey said, and I raised an eyebrow as I looked over at him questioningly. "The fact that a girl from our first meet-and-greet married the brother of the kid who saved my life?" He said again, almost as though I should've picked up on that ages ago.
"It's really cool, though! You could really see how much they loved each other.." I squeaked, lacing my fingers through his as our hands rested near the gearshifter. He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it once, sending electricity jolting through my fingers and up my arm, into my chest and finally stopping at my heart. He made the butterflies in my stomach form a mosh pit, for lack of a better string of words. It was the truth, though. He was the one, and I knew it from the first second we started dating.
I was in love with Jimmy at the beginning, and like I've said before, to some degree, I always will be. But I think he knows that I couldn't hang on him forever. I couldn't be sad forever. Some people still ask me, 'Don't you feel bad about being happy when your best friend is dead?' Well, no, why would I feel bad about that? I deserve happiness, just like everyone else does, no matter what's happened in my life. I found my happiness, and nobody is taking that away from me.
This was what it was all about. What life was about. Being with the people you love, being with those who understand you. Having friends that loved and supported you, knowing the right people, being with the love of your life every day.. It's heaven. Rolling over in the morning and seeing your entire heart and soul right there in front of you, sleeping away as though they haven't slept in years is one of the greatest blessings you could ever have.
Having a child that loves and understands you even if they aren't biologically yours is an achievement in and of itself. A child that accepted you just as you accepted them is hard to find, especially if they aren't your birth child. But family doesn't always mean blood related, you know? Sometimes it's just about the people you love and care about.
So, I guess this story is over. I have to admit, I cried a few times writing all of this out. There's a greater reason all of this was written out, but the story behind the story is for a later time. I realize that I've taken you through an emotional roller coaster with this entire thing, and for that, I apologize. But let me tell you, eager reader, something I've learned from my life experiences. Take this advice and learn from it, because it helped me through the toughest time of my life, and I hope it helps you, too.
It does not matter what people think of you; if you're doing something you love, and it makes you happier than anything in the world, you fucking do it. You don't have to take the negativity from anyone, ever. Because bad energy is not energy at all; it's pain. Nobody deserves pain, not even a second of it; and I've learned that the brightest eyes hide the deepest secrets, the most beautiful smiles hold the most pain, and the one worth waiting for is just around the corner.
I'm M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, and this was the story of my Seven Deadly Sins.