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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story	By : ImagineLayla131 Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 2907 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH TWD FRANCHISE NO MONEY/PROFIT IS BEING MADE!

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Hi everybody! Here's a big chapter with even more Walking Dead characters! Lacey is from the comics, and we all know Mary, Carol, Lizzie, and Mika! ;P
I wanna give a special shout out to my beta reader texasbelle91, as well as DarylDixon'sgirl1985, He-Who-Shall-Live, Hey01ig, Lego Kid At Heart, Prettyprincess45 (I'm so sorry I forgot to include you last time!), and SilverSun09. Please check out their stories, because they are freaking awesome!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH THE WALKING DEAD OR AFRICA. ALL PROPERTIES OWNED BY FRANK DARABONT AND AMC (TELEVISION SERIES), ROBERT KIRKMAN AND TONY MOORE (COMIC BOOK SERIES), AND TOTO, RESPECTIVELY. I ONLY OWN MY OWN ORIGINAL IDEAS AND CHARACTERS.
WARNING: STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT!
Chapter Thirteen: The Things We Never Had
Thursday, October 16th, Encino, 5:45 PM
MELODY
"Honey, you have nothing to be nervous about. They're going to love you."
"How do you know, Gareth? Meeting somebody's mother is crucial, it's like meeting your maker, and I have to meet two moms."
I sighed heavily as I looked down at the pink box in my lap that held the caramel apple cake I had made from scratch earlier that day. I like to think I have many talents, one of them is definitely cooking and baking, something that I inherited fully from my mother while Lori didn't. Well, maybe just with pancakes.
Our mom used to have a gourmet dessert catering business with her sister, our aunt Rachelle, but then they both mutually decided to retire after my aunt had my cousin and Mom had me four years later. I've tried to convince my mom to start it up again, especially when we lost our money, except by then she was too depressed and now she has a job, but maybe one day it could even be a fall back career for me. My parents always taught me that it's good manners to bring something when you've been invited to somebody's home for dinner, and I always make sure my manners are impeccable.
Gareth must have been able to sense that I was nervous, I had a lot on my mind. Not only meeting the rest of his family, but tonight was the final game of the National League Championship Series, with the winner playing against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Right now it's between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants. Naturally, Gareth and I are wanting our boys in black and orange to go to the World Series once again.
"My moms are not your average mothers, they're very free spirited and non judgmental. You shouldn't walk in there with your guard up, Melody. There's nothing to worry about." Gareth grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle kiss, making my heart flutter as I started to relax a little.
"Yes, you're right. Hey, at least I don't have to worry about some sex deprived dad leering at me and staring at my ass."
"Ha, isn't that the truth. We're here." Gareth pulled into the cobblestone driveway of a large brown Tudor style ivy covered house.
"How do I look?" I had decided to go for a hybrid of casual and classy with a bright pink blazer, a solid white cotton tank top, lightly faded Levi's, and Lori's hot pink Valentino d'Orsay heels that I borrowed for the evening. My hair was down and blown out with lots of volume, my makeup was subtle, and the only jewelry I was wearing was a thick blue bangle and the Tahitian pearl and white diamond necklace that Gareth brought me back from Tokyo.
"You look beautiful, babe. Relax." Gareth got out of the car and opened the door for me. I loved how he always did that, I'd have to tell his mother Mary what a gentleman she raised.
"I'm good, I'm good. Why wouldn't I be? Look at who I'm dating." We both smiled when I leaned in and gave him a kiss as we walked to the front door hand in hand.
"Hey, I'm the lucky one here, doll face." Hearing him say things like that only made me skyrocket to the top of the world. All this sugary sweet, lovey dovey fluff was definitely growing on me, and this was how it's supposed to be.
"This house is wonderful."
"Yeah, I love it. Wait until you see-"
A loud, shattering sound could be heard from the other side of the door, along with a shrill scream and a series of high-pitched dog barking and cat screeching. I glanced over at Gareth with a puzzled look, only to see the expression on his face was slightly mortified.
"Everything ok in there?"
"ELIZABETH BRIGHTON PELETIER-MANDEL!"
"Huh?" He shook his head in bewilderment. "Uh… yeah, no… Hold on a second, ok? I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." Gareth left me on the front porch as he scurried inside, and I couldn't even begin to fathom what was going on.
GARETH
Judging by the sounds outside, I knew that things were a little disoriented, but I wasn't expecting such a mad house as I stepped inside. Our Sheba Emu Boba Fett and black cat Delorean were whining as they chased each other in a circle, Lizzie's blue and gold macaw parrot Rio was flying above them, babbling incessantly.
Before I could even call out to my moms, I glanced upstairs to see Lizzie chasing Mika as my youngest sister clutched desperately to her favorite doll.
"Gareth! Gareth! Gareth! Help me! Help me!" Mika zoomed down the stairs and flew into my arms.
"Mika…" I groaned, just barely catching her. "Sweetheart, you're getting too big for me to catch you, remember?"
"Don't be afraid, Mika! I want to test your DNA to see if you're a vampire!"
"Mom-my! Where are my heels? I want to show them to Melody!" Sophia whined as she got to the top of the staircase.
"Bro!" Alex appeared next to Sophia wearing only Ren and Stimpy boxers with white tube socks. "Is Tits McGee here already?!" He asked with a big, goofy smile on his face. Ever since he met Melody, the only thing Alex has been able to talk about were her breasts. Yes, I'll admit they're spectacular, but there's so much more to her than that and his immaturity was pissing me off.
"Tits McGee! Tits McGee!" Rio cawed.
"Alex, ewww! You're so sexist and what have I said about walking around in your boxers? You don't have the bod for it!"
"QUI-ET!"
Everybody was stunned into silence, they knew that I hated raising my voice and I must have to be really peeved to do it. I pointed at my siblings as I addressed them.
"Lizzie, stop trying to cut Mika's hair or I'll take away that kit. Sophia, I think I saw your shoes in the hallway, you left them there when you were practicing your walk. Alex, you dare to utter that nickname in front of Melody, you'll regret it, and for crissakes put some damn clothes on!"
"Ok." They all turned and walked off with their heads down. This wasn't the first time this has happened, and I couldn't help but think of how it was back in San Francisco ten years ago. Cramming for my senior year finals after a double shift at Starbucks, which included opening, making sure Alex did his algebra homework, that Sophia and Lizzie got their baths and Mika got her bottle all on time, juggling that with simultaneously cooking dinner while The Moms were teaching classes at the Learning Annex. There were days where it had really worn me down, but thinking back, all my hard work paid off. I turned and looked at Mika, who was panting heavily.
"Are you ok? Here, let's get your inhaler." I took Grizelda Gunderson, Mika's asthma dolly, pulling out the inhaler and giving it to her, watching as she pressed down and took a couple deep breaths. "You good?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Gareth. I love you. Don't tell Alex, but you're my favorite brother." Mika smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck, which made me smile. She really was a very sweet little girl, but I worried that her naïve innocence would be a problem when she got older.
"You're my favorite out of all my ten year old sisters, too. Come on, there's somebody very special I want to introduce you to." With a deep breath, I turned around and opened the door to see Melody patiently waiting. "Welcome to Casa Crazy, my darling."
MELODY
I smiled as Gareth opened the door, holding his little sister, Mika. I decided to keep it to myself that I had heard everything going on, he sounded quite exasperated having to address the rowdy clan.
"Hey, I've seen it all. Don't forget, I live with Carl, a.k.a. Senor Obnoxious, but nobody beats my grandma Frances."
"Well, I can't wait to meet her and put you to the test on that one. Melody, this is my youngest sister, Mika. Mika, this is Melody."
"Hi." Mika shyly looked away, which I thought was adorable, along with her wavy blonde hair and chubby cheeks.
"It's nice meeting you, I've heard a lot of good things from your brother."
"Gare Bear is my favorite." Mika gave Gareth a kiss on the cheek and squeezed his neck before jumping out of his arms and running up the stairs, holding an odd looking redheaded doll.
"She's so cute." It was really sweet seeing Gareth interact with her, but I couldn't help but think of how he would be around somebody younger…
"Hey, Melody." I looked up to see Alex on the staircase balcony wearing Ren and Stimpy boxers and a smirk on his face, which left me kind of uncomfortable. Although, I wouldn't mind seeing his older brother with that little of clothing on, if not any clothing at all…
"Oh, hi, Alex."
"Alex, put your damn pants on!" Gareth growled up at him.
"Sheesh, bro! Chill out! Tits McGee, do my brother a favor and fuck him so he'll get off my ass." Alex shot me a wink.
"You imbecilic moron!" Gareth tried to race up the stairs, which made Alex run off into his room laughing, but I grabbed him just in time.
"Hey, hey. Easy there, hot lips." I smiled warmly at him as he took a deep breath and relaxed. The poor guy seemed so tense lately, I'd have to come up with a way to help him unwind.
"Sorry about that, don't pay any attention to what he says."
"Believe it or not, it wouldn't be the first time I've heard something like that, especially Tits McGee." Unfortunately, this was true. Due to developing early, I got called every name in the book and lots of unwanted attention. No matter what, it wouldn't change, I knew that much.
"Well, he still shouldn't do it. Anyways, what were you saying before all this?"
"Oh, I was saying that Mika is so cute."
"Yeah, she is. Come on." He grabbed me by the hand, walking me inside as I closed the door and looked around. "Mom? Momrol?"
"In the kitchen!"
Gareth led me into the kitchen as I looked around downstairs. The rooms were dimly lit with lots of polished wood fixings, the walls were adorned with multiple pieces of artwork, and there were a few sculptures, not to mention lots and lots of family pictures. It instantly reminded me of how my house used to look, back when my mom and I actually had a home, we weren't divided like we are now, even though that was my choice.
"Hello, ladies."
The kitchen was pretty basic. Marble flooring, granite countertops, more wood, it was a little bit smaller than mine in the Oak Park house. Like what I had seen of the rest of house, it too had such a warm, cozy feel.
"Honey! You're home!"
A woman, who I assumed was Gareth and Alex's biological mother Mary, walked forward and threw her arms around Gareth in a big hug. I stepped back to give them a moment, but found myself smiling at how happy they were to see each other. Since this is the first time I'm meeting the guy I'm dating's family, all interactions of them are completely new to me.
"Hi, Mom."
Gareth returned the hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"I feel like I hardly see you anymore. You're always so busy." She pulled back, her hands still on his shoulders, as she looked over and saw me.
"Hi." I shyly waved and grinned what my cousin referred to as an "Olympic gold winning smile". She should know, she was a beauty queen married to one of the hottest guys around.
"Oh, my gosh! Melody! Welcome!" Mary stepped out of Gareth's embrace and walked towards me. She had wavy, light brown hair worn in a side ponytail, clear blue eyes, and was a few extra pounds, but she wore it well with a colorful gypsy skirt, tank top, and light denim jacket. I was guessing that Gareth took after his dad, since he was almost a foot taller than me and Alex was kind of on the soft side, but the boys definitely had her nose. "I'm Mary, Gareth and Alex's mother." Mary then gave me a hug, which surprised me, but I returned it anyway.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for having me over, you have a lovely home. Here," I held up the box. "I baked this, it's a caramel apple cake."
Her smile widened as she took the box. "Aren't you a doll? Thank you, dear! Go on, have a seat, make yourself at home." She went back into the kitchen and I could have sworn I saw her wink at Gareth as she walked by.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No, not at all! Sit down, Melody."
"Yeah, you need to be seated, because you're about to be hit with a thousand questions that'll knock you off your feet." Gareth smirked as Mary rolled her eyes at him.
"That is so not true!" She laughingly smiled while looking over at me. "You'll have to forgive my son, he thinks he's a stand up comedian."
"Oh, it's alright, really. I'm an open book, ask away!" The nervousness was threatening to rear it's ugly head as I sat down at the breakfast bar by the kitchen, but so far I was feeling fine.
"You want anything to drink, babydoll?" Gareth asked from the refrigerator.
"Uh, sure. Surprise me."
"Alright."
"Is she here?" Another woman, who was obviously Carol, walked through the patio door. She was of average build with light green eyes and short, wispy grey hair. I was immediately reminded of Jamie Lee Curtis, but I could also see where Sophia looked a lot like her. Carol was more dressed down in a ribbed long sleeved shirt and cargo pants.
"Yes, Momrol, she's here." Gareth turned to me with a wink and a smile, which I knew made me blush slightly. "Melody, this is Carol, the brilliant artist that painted the lovely works you've seen on the walls and my second mother."
"Hi, Melody, it's really nice to meet you." Carol walked forwarded with her hand extended, which I shook.
"It's great to meet you, too. Your work is fantastic."
"Thank you very much."
I smiled and sat back, fully prepared for whatever was about to come my way.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
GARETH
"That's so incredible! It's such a hard genre to tackle, and I imagine only very few people do." Melody sipped from her Perrier, unaware that I was watching her in awe. It had only been twenty minutes, but I could tell that my moms really liked her, and what was not to like?
"Have you seen many operas?" My mom asked while chopping cucumbers and tomatoes for the salad.
"No, not in person. Only when they've been on PBS, but Les Miserables, Carmen, and La Boheme are my favorites."
"Mom actually played Fantine in Les Mis years ago." I said, taking a swig from my Corona.
"Wow, really? I love "I Dreamed A Dream", it was actually one of the first songs I learned to sing all the way through. To this day, Beth still doesn't agree that Anne Hathaway should have played Fantine, or that Anna Kendrick should be playing Cinderella in Into The Woods."
"That's lovely, dear." Mom then pushed my shoulder and smiled. "Don't be so modest, Gareth. I wasn't the star, you were."
My eyes widened. "Oh, God. Mom, don't." It was too late, she was already headed to the fireplace mantle to grab the picture.
"Hush, you have nothing to be embarrassed about, snickerdoodle." She handed the frame to Melody. "Here's Gareth as Gavroche in that same production, and Alex was one of the unnamed Theandiers' sons."
"Awww! Gareth, you were sooo adorable!"
"Even back then he was a charmer, and people were simply amazed that such a little person like him had this larger than life voice. I had him doing summer stock every year since he was born, and when he got older he was cast in lead roles more times than not. The director of the local theater wanted to cast him as Jean Valjean when he was sixteen, but he played Marius instead because he was too young." Mom looked over at me and smiled. "That was one of my favorite productions, with Lacey Cohan as Cosette. You two were such a cute couple, Gareth. She made a big mistake not ending up with you."
"Yeah, sure, Mom." I whipped out my phone and sent Melody a text message.
"Lacey Cohan was a heavyset raven haired girl that ended up being a short term teenage summer fling. It was nothing more than oral sex, pretty much."
Melody read the message and looked in my direction, our eyes meeting for a brief moment. I stared at the phone screen to see she was typing and proceeded to read her reply once it arrived.
"Well, with a gorgeous cock like yours, I can see why she'd want to stick it in her mouth all summer long and then some ;)."
I had to restrain my jaw from hitting the floor as I glanced over at Melody, who shot me a very nonchalant wink. She made me feel like I was back when I was dating Lacey, a teenage boy with raging hormones.
"We kept getting cards from talent agencies all the time, but he never wanted to pursue it, said it was too stuffy. Gareth could have been the next Hugh Jackman." Carol said once she closed the refrigerator door. "But you'll always be a star to us, honey."
"Wow. You never told me that, Gareth."
"Yeah, yeah, I know I was precious. Can we talk about something else now?"
"Don't be embarrassed! You're lucky and you should be proud. I always wanted to be in musicals, but there was too much in the way." I was kind of curious as to what she meant by that, but decided to save it for a later time when we were alone. "I've got a story that tops yours."
I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh, yeah? Try me."
She took a breath and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. "When I was little, I could never seem to keep my clothes on. I was always running around naked. One time in particular I was climbing on top of the monkey bars of my play set in the buff, our next door neighbor Josephine calls my mom and says "Lady Godiva is out riding again."." Melody released, finally allowing herself a giggle as my moms and I started laughing as well.
"That's quite the story, Melody."
"Why didn't you do that when we were at the park? That's definitely a sight I'd like to see." I leaned in and whispered in her ear, only for her to shoot me a shocked look that turned into a smirk.
"You're asking for it, Gareth Mandel." She nudged me under the breakfast bar before turning back to The Moms. "Anyways, I've seen more ballets and musicals than operas. My sister and I were ballerinas when we were younger, so the two kind of go hand in hand."
"She was?"
Melody nodded. "Mmhmm. She got pregnant with Carl and gave it up, but she got into teaching and choreography, so it's not like it totally hindered her. The two of us go with my mom, grandma, and great grandma to see The Nutcracker every December."
"Why did you give it up?" Carol asked.
"Eh, I lost interest I suppose. My heart wasn't in it like Lori's was. I never wanted to practice, I just wanted to perform, I also didn't want to ruin my feet. That's how I got into makeup design. Now that I graduated from makeup school I can broaden my horizons creatively."
All I could think of while Melody spoke was the black leather portfolio under her bed that held all her stupendous creations, and I really had to find out one way or another why she wasn't pursuing anything.
TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER
"So I went through the neighborhood, yanked all the "Yes on Prop 8" signs off the lawns, and threw every single one in the street. Nobody ever suspected me of doing it, the cops just assumed it was the jerky boys that were vandalizing all the cars."
Everybody started laughing over one of Melody's stories. There weren't many laughs with Theresa, she didn't have the best sense of humor. Looking back, I don't know what I saw in her, but it didn't matter, because now I had Melody. The only problem was I didn't know when things would become official.
"Wow, you're quite the rebel, Melody." Carol said as she started gathering the plates. Dinner had gone really well and Melody's cake was fantastic. Sophia went on and on about the photo shoot, Lizzie begged Melody to make her look like something out of a horror film, and Mika asked her to braid her hair. My brother didn't say much, which was probably a good thing, but I'm glad that everybody is getting along. Alex and the girls had all gone off doing their own thing, so it was just the four of us sitting at the table talking.
"Here, let me clean up, Carol." Melody rose to her feet as Carol looked confused.
"What? No, you don't have to do that."
"She's right, Melody, we've got it. You're our guest!" The Moms persisted against her attempt, but Melody wasn't having any of it.
"No, it's fine. Please, you've worked so hard on this wonderful dinner, the least I can do is clean up. Relax, you deserve it."
My mom sighed and smiled. "Alright, if you really don't mind."
She shook her head. "Not at all. I'll be right back." Melody smiled and grabbed the plates. The Moms watched her walk out of the room before turning back to me, with Carol speaking first.
"So, Gareth?"
"Yes, Carol?"
"When's the wedding going to be?"
I cracked a smile as I looked down into my coffee cup, feeling a little embarrassed but excited that they liked her.
"Gareth, she really is a lovely girl, and I love seeing you with the pep back in your step."
I grabbed my mother's hand and smiled. "Yeah, same here, Mom. She's something else."
"Have you told her about…" Carol trailed off as they both watched me shake my head. My mom's mouth flew open and she narrowed her eyes at me, snatching her hand back.
"Gareth Adam Mandelbaumowitz!"
"It's Mandel now. Remember the day we all changed it?" I corrected her, knowing it was the wrong move as she scoffed.
"Whatever. Gareth Adam Mandel, you better tell her." She hissed at me, which was something that was rarely done unless she was beyond the brink of annoyed.
"There's really no excuse as to why you haven't, you need to do it soon before it sneaks up and bites you in the ass."
"I don't want to freak her out, ok? I'm going to tell her soon, it's just about timing."
"IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S HAPPENING!" Alex raced into the room, so excited he could hardly breathe, which made us all look at him in confusion.
"What is it, Alex? Is the zombie apocalypse finally happening?" Mom sarcastically asked.
"What's going on?" Melody came in from the kitchen and stood next to me.
"Dude, we won, WE WON! THE GIANTS ARE GOING TO THE MOTHERFUCKING WORLD SERIES AGAIN!"
The four of us could hardly believe our ears, we were so elated that we all started screaming and cheering, hugging each other.
"Oh, my god! This is unbelievable!" Melody laughed as she threw her arms around my neck, letting out a squeal when I spun her around.
"Unbelievable? It's freaking awesome!" I set her down, staring into those pretty eyes, deciding I could no longer hold back the words I so desperately longed to say aloud. "Melody, I l-"
"I'm gonna make a shit ton of money! Woo Hoo! We're gonna win again!" Alex shouted before grabbing a chunk of the caramel apple cake and strolling back upstairs. Perhaps that had been fate's way of intervening on saying those four little words.
AN HOUR LATER
MELODY
"Thank you so much for having me over, it was a pleasure to meet you both." I said as I gave Mary and Carol a hug good bye. The evening had gone over better than I thought, Gareth's family- who up until today were total strangers- had accepted me in five and a half hours, which is more than I could say for my dad's family, who had known me my whole life.
"The pleasure was all ours, honey. You're welcome back here any time." Carol said.
"I'd love to."
"Melody, you're the first girl that Gareth has brought home to us since he split up with that monster Theresa. I can tell by the look in his eyes that my son cares a great deal for you. No matter what happens, promise me that you'll remember that." Mary smiled and I was so touched that she had gone out of her way to admit that to me.
"I promise, and I care for him a great deal myself. You've raised a breathtaking gentleman, Mary."
"Ready to go?" Gareth asked as he walked into the foyer.
I nodded. "Yep. Bye, you two."
"Good night, dear."
"Sleep well, Moms." Gareth smiled over at them.
"We will, sweetheart. See you in the morning." Mary and Carol walked up the stairs hand in hand as Gareth and I watched.
"They're really something else, you know that?"
He nodded. "I sure do."
We turned around and were about to walk out the door when Alex stopped us.
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't go anywhere yet."
"What's going on?"
Alex hopped off the last step, standing in front of us. "Hey, Melody. Do you want to get high?"
"Alex, no." Gareth shook his head.
"What? Why not?"
"I said so, that's why."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Dude, you are such a buzz kill! Untwist your panties and live a little."
"I don't mind, really. It's been so long since I've gotten stoned, but you have to smoke me out, Gareth."
"I don't know, Melody. Alex's weed is pretty strong. Are you sure?" I could tell he was hesitant, but I found myself nodding anyway.
"She's game, let up on it. Besides, we have to have a celebratory smoke for our Giants, let's go."
We followed Alex up the stairs and into his room, which looked like it had chewed itself and spit itself out. Clothes strewn everywhere, multiple bags of chips and candy, magazines on the floor, and a huge reptile tank.
"Whoa, you have a purple bearded dragon?" I peered inside the cage to see the aforementioned, along with a pale pink leopard gecko and a green chameleon. "Carl always wanted one of these, but Lori hates reptiles."
"Yep, I sure do. That's Purple Haze, the gecko is Slash and the chameleon is Axel."
"Nice!"
Gareth sat down on the floor and pulled me into his lap as Alex got the pot.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I could tell he was still a little doubtful, but how bad could Alex's weed be?
"Yes, Gareth, I'm totally sure."
"Alright, let's do this bitch!" Alex joined us on the floor, handing Gareth a joint and lit up the bong for himself.
"When was the last time you smoked pot?"
"It's been a while…" Truth be told, I hadn't smoked since the joints Shane got for me ran out almost two months ago. Before him, Randall was the one I got my pot from, and he's pretty much the last person I want to see or talk because I know he'll just try to get back together with me.
"Well, Melody, prepare to have your mind blown." Alex snickered as he wrapped his mouth around the bong while Gareth inhaled from the joint before turning to me, putting his hand on my face as our lips joined. I breathed in the smoke, holding the breath long enough until I knew I had had enough and exhaled.
"You got it all?" Gareth asked.
My only reply was to lean in and kiss him, I could never get enough of his sexy lips. Even though it had only been a few minutes, I knew this was going to be a great high.
TWO HOURS LATER
GARETH
"This reminds me of one time I got stoned with my ex and I was totally spaced out. He thought it would be really funny to keep poking me in the butt to get my attention." Melody burst into a fit of giggles.
"What, you mean like this?" Alex reached over but I smacked his hand away.
"Hey, nu-uh, no touchy, little brother." I pushed his hand away and wrapped my arm around Melody's waist, pulling her in closer to me. Sometimes my brother liked to push things to see how far he could take them, like nicknaming Melody "Tits McGee" and trying to poke her just now. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was after her for himself. We were outside in the backyard by the pool, me and Melody in the double lounger while Alex sat next to us, 80's music playing from the stereo. The sky was almost black, but the stars still found a way to shine as the moon illuminated an orange red color, indicating it would be a scorcher tomorrow.
"Whatever, you're no fun. The two of you have been making goo goo eyes at each other on and off for almost three hours. Tie the knot already, lovebirds." He got up, messing around with the volume on the stereo.
"Don't turn it too loud, Alex! I don't want the cops called on us." I looked up at Melody, who had situated herself on my lap in a straddling position. "I'm sorry about that, baby. He's an idiot. Don't pay attention to anything he says."
"No, he's not. Ok, fine, maybe he is, but he's a loveable idiot. Your whole family is so wonderful, Gareth. What you have here is a real family. Not everybody has that, I didn't."
"What? Yes, you do."
She shook her head. "No, I didn't. Not really. Lori was only around until I was six, she and Rick got married when she was pregnant with Carl and they moved to San Diego, I was pretty much an only child. We've only gotten really close in the past few years. My dad was too busy working, my mom was all I had for the most part, along with my aunt and two cousins. When they got divorced, she had to play the role of both parents. It didn't help that his whole family divorced me, too, they moved on when my dad did. I have two sisters that barely know who I am and when Lori finds out what I did, I won't have an older sister anymore, either."
I noticed there was a tear in the corner of her eye. Hating to see her sad, I reached up and wiped it away before cupping her cheek. "Shhh, don't cry, angel. It'll be ok. Don't tell me now, but whatever it is, it will work itself out the way it's supposed to. That's what Mika says all the time."
"Really?"
"Mmhmm." My fingers started running themselves through her tresses. This weed was really strong, because every touch felt like the first. Like I predicted the first night we met, I managed to get lost in her eyes every time we saw each other, and I never wanted the feeling to end. I was ready to just blurt out "I love you" right there and then, but the timing was still wrong, so I figured out a safe alternative. "You know that I'm absolutely crazy about you, right?"
Melody laughed and grabbed my hand, giving it a kiss. "I do now, yes, I feel the same." She smiled as "Africa" by Toto started playing. "Aww, I love this song!"
"Me, too."
"It's kind of romantic, don't you think?"
"Mmhmm." I nodded as I stared up at her. The hypnotic keys and chords of the song rang through the night air, and again, it seemed like Melody had a glow around her. It also seemed like everything was sparkling, especially her eyes. Still straddling me, hands on my chest, the way she looked at me like I was the only guy in the world worth looking at, for a minute I thought I felt my own heart stop.
"Gareth, what's going on with you?"
"Hmmm? Nothing, I was thinking about how damn beautiful you are." I absentmindedly twirled her hair through my fingers as she blushed and looked down.
"Oh, stop. You're too much." I could tell she was embarrassed, so I gently took her chin in my hand so our eyes could meet.
"I'm serious. Listen, Melody. I know that it hasn't been that long, but it feels like it has. I spent almost eight years with somebody that took me for granted and stomped on my heart, but life has a funny way of working itself out. Had I not caught Theresa cheating on me with Sam, I never would have dumped her and then we never would have met. Until recently, I didn't think very highly of myself. I mean, I knew I was talented and intelligent, but I didn't think I was anything extraordinary. At least not until I moved to So Cal, that's when everything took off, because Rick gave me a chance, just like you have. You don't see me as some quiet and scrawny nerd, you see me for who I am now."
"We all have a past, Gareth. When you're ready to hear it, I need to tell you about mine. All I hope is that you won't run because of it." There was something really worrying her, and while I wanted to know what it was, I didn't want to ruin the moment and risk upsetting her.
"I could never run from you. Not in a million lifetimes." I smiled as the song led into the chorus. "Listen to the lyrics."
"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had."
"That's how I feel, Melody. There's not a single thing that anybody can do, whether it be a single person or an army, that would drag me away from you, and I bless Rick down at Woodbury." There was nothing about her that would shock me, because when you care about somebody, you have to take the good hand in hand with the bad. Besides, I'm no saint myself, either.
Melody laughed. "You're too cute, and I feel exactly the same way." She leaned in and kissed me. We spent the next couple hours just talking and kissing with some staring in between until we fell asleep in each other's arms. Unfortunately, the perfect moment was ruined at five in the morning when Alex thought it would be hilarious to turn the sprinklers on us.
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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story